Melon Salad with Nectarines, Tomatoes and Basil

Combining three ingredients that have been exceptional this year - Melon Salad with Nectarines, Tomatoes and Basil is a unique and delicious Salad. We will make it again. We served it with our leftover Salmon and Corn. This very unusual Salad is a keeper. I wouldn't have thought to combine these ingredients in a salad. It is worth your while to make.

Melon Salad with Nectarines, Tomatoes and Basil 
New York Times
 
The principle behind this summer salad is “take what is great from what is right around you and do very little to it,” Hannah Shizgal-Paris, the chef of Roman’s, in Brooklyn, says. The recipe showcases cantaloupe and nectarines, but any firm-fleshed melon and vivid stone fruit will do. Everything depends on the quality of the produce at hand and the stage it’s in: If the melon is crunchy, you cut it thin; if starting to soften, cut it thick. Contrast comes from capers, pecorino, chile (less for heat than punctuation), and a pucker of lemon to finish. Be sure to season each ingredient separately and build the salad in layers, rather than dumping everything in all at once. Taste as you go, and keep it all nice and cool. It’s a dish only for this sun-drunk time. Eat it while you can.
 
INGREDIENTS
Yield:4 servings
 
¼      medium sweet onion (such as Vidalia) or red onion
Ice water
7       ounces peeled and seeded firm-fleshed melon, such as cantaloupe or honeydew (from ¼ medium melon)
2       firm-ripe yellow nectarines (or plums or peaches)
¾      cup cherry tomatoes (preferably Sungold)
Sea salt, to taste
¼      cup extra-virgin olive oil 
1       tablespoon chardonnay vinegar
1       lemon, juiced
Pinch of crushed red pepper
Small handful of caper leaves, torn in half, plus a spoonful of their oil, or salted capers, cut in half (optional)
Generous handful of basil leaves
2       ounces Pecorino Toscano or other hard, shaveable Italian cheese (such as ricotta salata or Parmesan)
Freshly ground black pepper
Crusty bread, for serving
 
PREPARATION
 
1. Cut the onion into ⅛-inch-thick slices. Transfer to a small bowl with enough ice water to cover and let stand for at least 5 minutes while you prepare the other ingredients.

2. Cut the melon into ¼-inch-thick slices. Pit the nectarines and cut into 8 wedges each. Halve the cherry tomatoes.

3. Arrange the sliced melon on a large serving platter or in a wide shallow bowl. Tuck the nectarines and tomatoes into the gaps.

4. Generously season the fruit with sea salt, then drizzle with most of the olive oil, the vinegar and about two-thirds of the lemon juice. Sprinkle with the crushed red pepper.

5. If using the caper leaves or salted capers, scatter them across the fruit. If using caper leaves, spoon over a little of the oil that the leaves are stored in.

6. Drain the onion well. Return the onion slices to the bowl, aggressively season with salt and the remaining lemon juice, then scatter the onion across the fruit. In the same bowl, gently toss the basil leaves to just barely coat them in lemon juice, then arrange on top of the salad.

7. Using a vegetable peeler, shave ribbons of Pecorino Toscano over the platter. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil and finish with a few cracks of black pepper. Serve with crusty bread.