Watermelon & Jicama Salad

One day when I used to work in a kitchen … a real one, not just my kitchen at home. Jicama came up. Surprisingly, there were a lot of people that didn’t now what it was! Jicama is usually referred to as a Mexican potato. It has that thick startchy texture but it is great in its raw form. The rest of the day in the kitchen was spent discussing jicama and the different recipes that we make with it. One of the head chefs seemed almost outraged at peoples lack of jicama knowledge which worked out to our benefit. A few days later he brought in this great summer salad for all of us to try. Watermelon and Jicama Salad sounded a little crazy and weird, but we all gave it a try.

At first glance, and when he was telling us the ingredients, we were all a little bewildered, but it was a great refreshing summer salad. The crunch of the jicama was really nice against the watermelon and the dill and scallions made everything brighten. This salad gets soupy as it sits so I generally try to make just enough to get eaten that day.

Watermelon & Jicama Salad

Makes 3 cups

1/4 watermelon, diced
1 small jicama, diced
2 scallions, chopped
1/2 c sour cream (I like tofutti but have used greek yogurt too)
1/2 T lemon juice
3 oz feta cheese, optional
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and season with salt and pepper to your liking. The longer it sits the juicier it becomes from the watermelon. I suggest eating it the same day you make it.