Cucumber-Watermelon Salad and Pan-seared Tuna Steak

Some dinners are not for the kids, really. Tonight was all about satisfying the two grown-ups in our house with something both healthy and unusual. With more and more glimmers of springtime in the air lately, I wanted to put together a dinner that was refreshing, somehow. While shopping this past weekend, I imagined what I might do with watermelon and cucumber, and how I would center a meal on two things I simply find refreshing.

I coarsely chopped the cucumber (just one) and watermelon (about a quarter of a small melon), and tossed them in a bowl with about a tablespoon of honey and maybe 2-3 tablespoons of white balsamic vinegar. That's it. Simple and fast. 

As I considered what to serve with this salad concept, I decided a nice piece of fish would be great. I confess; I don't eat nearly enough fish, and I feel rather proud of myself when I think to make it for dinner. I have a nice bundle of sea salts in the kitchen, and once I had my wife figure out which was which (the print was way too small for my eyes), I decided to use a black olive sea salt. Again, simple and fast. I had a tiny splash of olive oil in the pan, and just added the salt. Nothing more. I served a plain bit of rice with this. 

The verdict

I liked this meal, especially the salad, and I'd make it all again. My wife was especially happy with the tuna. I am thinking that the salad would work nicely with a lemon chicken dish, or something similarly acidic.

Tuna steak with cucumber-watermelon salad

The slight hint of olive flavor from the salt was a nice touch on the fish, and I would like to use it similarly again in the future. 

The bonus tonight was watching our 1-year-old practically inhale the fish. The older daughter - there was no convincing her to try any of this dinner, but the little one is in that wonderful adventurous stage, and I loved watching her gobble up every bite we gave her.

We enjoyed a bit of pinot grigio with this dinner. And it was a nice grownup-centric dinner, for a change.