One of my favorite cookbook authors is Reem Kassis, author of “The Palestinian Table.” I visited her and her family a few years back in the town of Karmiel. During that trip, I also spent a night or two in Tiberias on the Sea of Galilee after vacating a rather charming but rough-and-tumble bed-and-breakfast (my videographer discovered a scorpion under the sink, which resulted in a demand for more Marriott-style accommodations). So, we packed up and ended up at a large tourist hotel perched on the edge of the Sea of Galilee.

Once I realized that I had a view of the Golan Heights, it dawned on me that I was smack-dab in the middle of Biblical history. Jesus spent a great deal of his ministry in the area walking on water, calming the storm, and calling his disciples from the shore.

On a more mundane culinary level, as I got an early start on the breakfast buffet, I noticed a large fruit salad that featured watermelon as the main offering. My first, and ungenerous, thought was that this was a cheap way to fill a large glass salad bowl, but the first bite changed my mind. Watermelon is tricky; it fools you with its watery content and fizz-pop texture, but is masterful when paired with lemon juice, spice or any other strong ingredient. America is one of the few places in the world where watermelon is a one-note wonder, a cold slice on a hot day with a sprinkling of salt.

Our recipe is a bit of a mash-up: a marriage of the Greek classic called karpouzi salata (watermelon salad) and Palestinian salatat jarjeer (arugula salad). The spiciness comes from sumac, with its citrusy, almost fermented, flavor and a touch of cayenne. Fresh goat cheese adds creaminess, and roasted pistachios do the rest. There is not much to the preparation except for a five-minute wait for the onion to soften in the dressing.

Watermelon can set you free. It provides the freedom to mix spicy with sour, creamy with crunchy.

Chris Kimball

Christopher Kimball is founder of Milk Street, which produces Milk Street Magazine, Milk Street Television on PBS, and the weekly public radio show Milk Street Radio. He founded Cook’s Magazine in 1980 and was host and executive producer of America’s Test Kitchen until 2016. Kimball is the author of several books, including "The Yellow Farmhouse" and "Fannie’s Last Supper."