[Korean Recipes] Watermelon Carpaccio, Blistered Shishito, Mitsuba, Lime

The namesake of the Venetian Renaissance painter known for his use of brilliant reds and whites, “Carpaccio” was the inspiration for this summer treat. Giuseppe Cipriani, owner of Harry’s Bar invented the dish in 1950, the year of the great Carpaccio exhibition in Venice. Watermelon Carpaccio, Blistered Shishito, Mitsuba, Lime was inspired by the Contessa Amalia Nani Mocenigo, a frequent customer at Harry’s Bar whose doctor had placed her on a diet forbidding cooked meat. The original dish was simply paper-thin sliced raw beef topped with a mustard sauce. In the 63 years since its invention, the culinary term “carpaccio” has come to mean almost any dish composed of thinly-sliced raw food spread out on a platter.

In a challenge to make an elegant watermelon dish, I turn to carpaccio… plus mitsuba, a Japanese herb with a fresh, wild, sweet flavor similar to angelica which adds the herbaceous note. Then smoky grilled shishito balance the cool crisp watermelon. Radish sprouts add a pungent peppery characteristic. Just a little bit of feta adds richness and saltiness, while roasted pistachios add that nutty character. Gochugaru (Korean red chili powder) brings the heat and lime adds the bright citrusy notes. Elegant Watermelon? It’s possible.

Watermelon Carpaccio Recipe

With very little prep, this dazzling summer salad comes together quickly.

Trim watermelon to fit a mandolin. Slice very thin.

Toss shishito peppers with olive oil.
Grill over high heat using a grill basket, flipping occasionally until the peppers are blistered.
Season with salt.

Lime Vinaigrette

2 T. olive oil
1 T. lime juice
1 T. seasoned rice wine vinegar
1 t. sugar
pinch of salt

Whisk ingredients together, set aside.

Use a melon baller to make tiny watermelon balls.
Trim radish sprouts.
Rough chop roasted & salted pistachios.
Crumble feta.
De-stem mitsuba.

To compose:

Place watermelon carpaccio on a platter. Mound mitsuba in the middle. Arrange radish sprouts around the mitsuba. Use a microplane to grate lime zest over the entire plate. Scatter melon balls, feta, and pistachio. Drizzle lime vinaigrette. Sprinkle with Korean red chili powder (gochugaru).Place blistered shishito peppers over the mitsuba.

This recipe and image sources are referred in website: Tastewiththeeyes.com. Thanks so much!