If you’re a long-time reader of this blog, you probably know by now, that I love summer. No, it’s not the warm weather, in fact that makes me wilt like a cut flower. And when I was younger, and in school from September to June, I looked forward to the summer recess just like every other child. But as welcoming a break as I knew it to be, I really didn’t need it. I was one of those children who actually liked school. No, the thing I most love about these warm summer months is the fruit, and all that can be cooked (or not cooked with it).

A delicious stone fruit pie is divine; a clafoutis chock full of tree-ripe apricots; and a nectarine cobbler, the juices bubbling out from under the nubby crust, each are list-toppers for me. But sometimes turning on the oven, even for only an hour, its steaming surface puffing more hot air into my already warm apartment is too much to bear. So then I turn to another summertime favorite, melons of all sorts.

This melon salad has proven itself time and time again this season to be one of my favorites. Its salty-sweet combination is a delight, and the crunch of dry-roasted peanuts adds yet another crisp dimension. A mixture of Thai ingredients, this salad proves to be a refreshing snack, or a pleasing side dish to a lite meal.

The dressing is simple. The zest and juice of one lime, are combined with a lump of brown sugar, and the secret, salty ingredient– Thai fish sauce. Yes, that stinky stuff adds the perfect briny element to the mix. Chop up some refreshing mint, bash up a handful of salted peanuts, and garnish your melon pieces with this whole concoction. Serve and eat this right away, so the mint remains sprightly, and the peanuts still have their crunch. And most importantly, enjoy the summer, and all of the bounty it has to offer.