Thanks again so much to Fran from ThinRecipes.com for developing this recipe for us to use to the OXO Kitchen Challenge at Eat, Write, Retreat 2012. It was simply delicious! The watermelon and Jarlsberg are not traditional ingredients in Chimol, but was added as they were secret ingredients in the challenge.
Chimol is typically a condiment in Honduras. I’ve taken the basic “Chimol” and enhanced it to come up with a savory salad with the sweetness of Watermelon and Orange. It’s full of texture and bite and goes with just about anything you might serve for lunch or dinner. The Jarlsberg is a very unexpected added layer which takes a typical Central American salad to the level of a light meal.
Ingredients:
- 3 ears of fresh Corn on the Cob, husks pulled back and silk removed, or husks removed completely
- 2 tablespoons Red Wine Vinegar
- 4 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Juice of 1 fresh Orange juice
- 1 English Cucumber, peel on, diced
- 1 small Red Onion, sliced paper thin — I use a hand-held mandoline for this purpose
- 2 Chipotle in Adobo, diced (I use canned)
- 1 can plain Black Beans, rinsed
- Lindsay Black pitted Large Black Olives, sliced
- 1 wedge Jarlsberg, cut into medium dice
- 4 sprigs fresh Mint, torn
- 1 small bunch of fresh Cilantro, chopped
- 1 seedless or seeded Watermelon, chopped
- Salt and freshly ground black Pepper to taste
- 8- 10 fresh Corn Tortilla rounds
- Heat a grill or a grill pan until smoking hot
- While the grill is heating, pull the husks of the corn back and remove the silk
- Rinse under cold water, do not dry, and pull the husks back over the corn, it does not have to cover completely, you want some of the corn to brown or char just a bit
- Put on the grill and cook until some of the kernels have browned, turning to cook on all sides
- If using a grill pan, remove the husks completely and cook, turning until the corn begins to turn color
- When the corn has cooled, remove the kernels to a serving bowl
- In a small bowl, pour the oil, vinegar and orange juice — set aside
- Add all other ingredients, except the tortillas to a serving bowl, adding the watermelon last
- Sprinkle with Salt and Pepper
- Toss gently to keep the Watermelon from turning into a mash
- Add the salt and pepper.
- Whisk the Oil, Vinegar and Orange Juice to thoroughly combine, and pour over the salad
- Chill for 15 minutes in the refrigerator
- While the salad is chilling, fry or toast the tortillas — my preferred method is to hold them over a flame and let them char, and then crumble into pieces, but it’s tricky — keep your eye on them at all times if you try this — otherwise, cut tortillas into strips and shallow fry until crispy, just a few minutes
- Remove to a plate covered with paper towels to absorb the fat if frying
- Remove salad from the refrigerator and top with Tortilla strips
- Toss once more and serve over a bed of Endive leaves
