Watercress Salad with Manchego, Membrillo, and Almonds Recipe
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This simple watercress salad celebrates all the flavors that define Spanish cuisine.
What to buy: Look for membrillo, also called quince paste, in gourmet groceries and Latin markets. Manchego is an aged sheep’s-milk cheese from Spain; look for it in gourmet groceries. All of these Spanish products are also available online at La Tienda.
This recipe was featured as part of our Father’s Day Grilled Paella Feast.
INGREDIENTS
- 1 medium garlic clove, minced
- 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
- Kosher salt
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 bunches watercress, stemmed and washed
- 1/2 cup slivered almonds, toasted
- 4 ounces Manchego cheese, shaved into thin slices
- 4 ounces membrillo, small dice
INSTRUCTIONS
- Combine the garlic, vinegar, and a couple pinches of salt in a medium, nonreactive bowl. Whisking constantly, add the olive oil in a steady stream until completely incorporated.
- Combine the watercress, almonds, half of the cheese shavings, and half of the diced membrillo in a second bowl. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and toss to coat. Divide the salad among 4 plates and garnish with the remaining cheese and membrillo. Serve immediately.
Beverage pairing: Montsarra Cava, Spain. Cava is Spanish sparkling wine, and this one has the light-bodied spritz to merge seamlessly with the Manchego cheese, handle the bitterness of the cress, and appeal to the honeyed sweetness of the membrillo.
Que rico, Jessica! Thanks for posting.
I'm pretty sure membrillo is sold at Grand Casino Bakery, on Main St. in Culver City. It must be, because they use truckloads of it in their amazing cookies!
I took a risk in making this dish for my supper club....i had never had watercress or membrillo before . But, let me tell you: It is so good! There's some definite alchemy going on when you put it all together.
C'est delicieux!
Fantastic! I made it twice and EVERYONE raved about it.
Ridiculously easy and delicious. I have made it twice in two days. Do make an effort to use watercress. The pepperiness is just wonderful with the sweet quince paste and salty cheese. I made this salad for a group and every single person wanted seconds.
This is my new favorite salad! Thank you Jessica. I served it at a tapas party I had. I was able to find the membrillo at Whole Foods in the cheese section.
Also available at website donajuana, in Los Angeles/South Bay, also called La Espanola. A little hole in the wall store tucked away in a commercial/industrial center, but the nicest people work there and OMG the cheeses and meats!