The perfect summer salad; refreshingly light with grilled calamari, ripe cherry tomatoes, and sweet watermelon that can be pulled off in a few minutes with minimal work.

I'm a little late posting this as I had every intention to have this on the blog several days before the 4th of July. But hey, for my fellow procrastinators this may work out perfectly for you.

As a black kid growing up in Texas, 4th of July celebrations always seemed odd to me. My family, neighborhood, and city celebrated "Juneteenth" to recognize emancipation day (June 19, 1865) for slaves in Texas which occurred well after General Lee's surrender and the Emancipation Proclamation.

Juneteenth for African Americans is essentially Independence Day without the fireworks. To follow-up Juneteenth with Independence Day, only a few weeks later made our Nation's celebration weird for me. On the one hand, it was an opportunity to eat BBQ, hang with family and friends, and shoot off fireworks. There was nothing better than shooting off bottle rockets or having Roman Candle fights with my friends.

However, there was also that sinking feeling you get knowing that your ancestors were not free, not liberated on July 4, 1776. I remember asking my grandfather, who was a war veteran, about this and his answer, stuck with me. He basically said part of America's legacy is this notion of charting its own course and fighting to achieve and preserve this for its citizens.

Yes, there is great hypocrisy in our patriotism, but there is also nobility in recognizing and remembering our Nation's fight for Independence as a catalyst for us to keep fighting for the independence of all. I didn't fully understand it at the time, but I accepted it because Pops was rarely wrong, and I so wanted to enjoy my ribs and fireworks without conflict.

Now, about this recipe. As I've aged ribs are still on the menu, but no fuss, tradition challenging sides are my focus. There are no classic potato salads, standard cole slaws, etc. I love my grandma and her delicious mustard-based potato salad, but that's for Juneteenth in my house. Independence Day is what it is, I'm doing it my way. That means a grilled calamari salad is front and center as a side.

The genesis of the recipe is I saw calamari steaks for sale at my grocery store. I don't know about you, but I had never seen/heard of them. My only familiarity with calamari was those little rings, you mostly find fried on the appetizer menu at pretty much any restaurant but frying was not an option, too traditional. I was curious and knew immediately I was going to somehow create a 4th of July recipe for it, though I wasn't thinking chickpea salad at the time.

My farmer's market haul included cherry tomatoes and those mini personal watermelons so I had these on hand. Mint was running wild in my garden so needed to use that, and I had several leftover cans of chickpeas from a catering gig. These things were all on my mind as I pondered what to do with my calamari steak. I think in terms of color when I'm developing recipes, so wanted some colors that screamed fresh and helped brighten the boring pale white calamari. The red, yellow, and green from the watermelon, tomatoes, mint, and avocados would do the trick.

The other benefit of adding the watermelon was its juices bleed into the simple lime vinaigrette dressing I used. The lime and salt bring out watermelon flavor which also works well with the refreshing character provided by the fresh mint and really makes this chickpea salad pop.

Calamari Chickpea Salad Cooking Tips

Calamari steaks are just the flattened bodies of squid. They are a great lean protein option for a tasty meal and cook in a flash. Fresh is best, but if unavailable grab the frozen version which is much easier to find. Simply defrost them in the refrigerator overnight when you're ready to use them.
Don't overcook the calamari, or it will turn very rubbery.
Tenderize the steaks first by pounding them lightly with a mallet. Then score them with a sharp knife diagonally both directions to create a diamond pattern. These will keep the steaks from contracting/curling. No need to cut completely through the calamari.
Pat dry with paper towels and ensure the steaks are completely dry. Add salt and pepper right before cooking on high heat.
Do not crowd the pan, otherwise, too much moisture will be created
Use a melon ball scoop for the watermelon for better presentation and convenience
This makes for a great side or main dish salad

Calamari Chickpea Salad

If you make this simple and quick Calamari Chickpea Salad recipe, please come back and leave me a comment below with your feedback. Definitely take a photo of the dish and be sure to tag #foodfidelity so that I can see them.

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Enjoy this contrarian 4th of July Chickpea and Calamari Salad. Happy Independence Day!

"Contradiction" quick calamari chickpea salad

Calamari Chickpea Salad Cooking Tips

Calamari Chickpea Salad

Calamari Chickpea Salad

Ingredients

Salad Ingredients

Vinaigrette Ingredients

Instructions

For the Calamari

For the Vinaigrette

For the salad

Notes

Nutrition