A salad with the original name “Watermelon” or “Watermelon Slice” will decorate any holiday table and surprise all guests with its unusual appearance and delicate taste. It is quite easy to prepare; the most common ingredients are used. Depending on your preferences, you can decorate the top of the dish with whole or chopped olives, grapes, green onions, and tomato slices.
The original appearance of this light, slightly spicy and very delicate salad will delight the hostess and household members and will make you remember the hot summer even on a gloomy autumn day. The bright red top resembles the juicy flesh of a watermelon, with olives replacing black seeds. The green crust can be made from the peel of cucumbers, onion feathers or parsley. The surprise of everyone present at the table will be guaranteed one hundred percent.
How to prepare Watermelon Slice Salad
To get a truly delicious Watermelon wedge salad, you need to approach the selection and preparation of products with all responsibility. It is worth considering the following recommendations:
- All ingredients must be fresh and of high quality. Vegetables and fruits are free of mold and spoiled areas. Meat and finished products must have a natural composition and be fresh.
- To imitate juicy watermelon pulp, you need red vegetables - bright tomatoes, bell peppers, pomegranate seeds.
- “Seeds” can be made from cut olives and black caviar.
- The “crust” is represented by fresh green cucumbers, olives, grapes, and herbs.
- Chicken breast or turkey fillet must be thoroughly boiled, adding salt to the broth 15 minutes before cooking. Then cool.
Advice! In order for the meat to be juicy after boiling, it must be immersed in boiling water.
Classic salad recipe: Watermelon slice
The simplest Watermelon wedge salad that does not require exotic ingredients.
You need to prepare:
- chicken fillet – 0.85 kg;
- parmesan – 0.32 kg;
- fresh cucumber – 0.3 kg;
- fresh tomatoes – 260 g;
- egg – 6 pcs.;
- mayonnaise – 180 ml;
- salt, pepper to taste;
- a few olives for decoration.
Cooking steps:
- Cut the fillet, pepper, mix with a small amount of sauce.
- Divide the eggs into whites and yolks, grate finely.
- Cut the tomatoes into cubes, drain off the excess juice.
- Coarsely grate Parmesan and cucumbers. Drain the juice from the vegetables, add salt and pepper.
- Assemble on a flat dish in the shape of a crescent in layers, spreading with sauce, forming a slope from the edges to the middle: meat, yolks, cheese.
- Then form the watermelon pulp from the tomatoes, covering everything except the wide strip adjacent to the future rind.
- Place the cucumbers along the back edge, imitating a watermelon rind, make a wide strip of whites - this will be the light part of the rind, do not grease it with sauce.
Garnish the Watermelon wedge salad with chopped olives.
Attention! Chicken breast for salad should be freed from skin and bones, if any.
As a sauce for the Watermelon wedge salad, you can use sour cream or unsweetened yogurt without additives
Classic recipe
Watermelon slice salad (the recipe with photo shows a set of main ingredients) is prepared from boiled chicken meat, boiled eggs and fried mushrooms. The ingredients are laid out in layers on a common plate, immediately giving them a crescent shape. The layers are periodically lubricated with mayonnaise to secure them together. The top layer is decorated with chopped tomatoes, cucumber pulp and olive slices.
Watermelon slice salad. The recipe is classic.
These ingredients are used to form a pattern that resembles a slice of watermelon.
Composition of ingredients
To prepare a salad according to the most common recipe, use the following list of products:
Products | Quantity |
Chicken meat | 400 g |
Mushrooms | 400 g |
Egg | 5 pieces. |
Hard cheese | 150 g |
Cucumber | 3 pcs. |
Tomatoes | 3 pcs. |
Olives | 2-3 pcs. |
To ensure that the salad turns out not only beautifully decorated, but also tasty, the ingredients are carefully chosen.
Following simple tips, buy quality products for the dish:
- Chicken meat. It is recommended to purchase chilled meat rather than frozen so that it is as fresh as possible. The color of fresh chicken meat is uniform and not bright, the structure is quite elastic. Make sure that the product does not emit an unpleasant odor.
- Hard cheese . When choosing cheese, pay attention to the composition indicated on the package. Make sure that no artificial flavors or preservatives are used in production.
- Champignon. To select fresh mushrooms, pay attention to the absence of dry spots, the skin should be elastic and uniform.
Step-by-step cooking process
The order of preparing the salad and layering is as follows:
- Pre-cooked chicken meat is finely chopped.
- Eggs are hard boiled and cooled. Separate the whites from the yolks and grate them separately so that the whites do not mix with the yolks.
- The champignons are washed, placed in a frying pan greased with a small amount of vegetable oil and fried over medium heat for 2-3 minutes.
- The cheese is grated on a fine grater.
- Tomatoes and cucumbers are washed. The tomatoes are finely chopped, the cucumbers are peeled and grated, squeezing out excess juice.
- The olives are cut into thin slices so that they resemble watermelon seeds.
- They take out the dish and begin to lay out the first layer of salad on it - from chicken meat. The layer is formed in the form of a slice. Each layer is smeared with a small amount of mayonnaise and helped to distribute it with a spoon.
- Continue adding layers, greasing each with a small amount of mayonnaise. The order of layers: mushroom, yolks, whites.
- Place a top layer of cheese and a layer of tomatoes on top, leaving space on the sides. The cheese represents the rind. Olives are laid on top of the tomatoes, depicting watermelon seeds. Place the cucumber on the side of the salad. Its pulp should be held together by mayonnaise.
What can I add?
If desired, champignons can be replaced with any other mushrooms, but they may be heavier, so it is recommended to replace them with porcini mushrooms. The taste may change depending on the type of hard cheese, so it is recommended to choose this ingredient based on your own preferences. It is possible to replace hard cheese with soft cheese. The taste of soft or curd cheese is well complemented by sour cream or homemade mayonnaise, which can replace store-bought mayonnaise.
How to serve a dish
The salad is served on a common platter, from which each guest can take the amount of food he needs. The design of the salad may vary depending on your imagination and preferences.
There are several ready-made options for salad decorations:
- The shape of the salad is given in the form of a semicircle, crescent, oval, or the salad is arranged in a circle, imitating a watermelon in cross-section.
- To create a “crust”, cucumbers are grated on a coarse or fine grater, sometimes finely chopped. If you don’t peel the cucumbers, the salad turns out brighter.
- Tomatoes are cut into cubes or slices. The thinner the tomatoes are cut, the neater the top layer will be.
- Olives are cut into slices of different thicknesses; less often they are used unsliced.
- In the case of a children's party, layers of salad begin to be formed on several plates at once, which will go to each guest. In this case, you will need a small amount of filling for each serving, so cut the ingredients as finely as possible.
Salad in the form of a watermelon slice with chicken and nuts
For nut lovers, there is an amazing recipe for Watermelon Wedge Salad.
You need to prepare:
- chicken or turkey meat – 0.75 kg;
- egg – 8 pcs.;
- hard cheese – 120 g;
- walnuts – 310 g;
- fresh cucumbers – 0.21 kg;
- tomatoes – 0.38 kg;
- parsley or salad greens – 150 g;
- mayonnaise – 360 ml;
- olives for decoration.
How to do:
- Cut the meat into cubes, grind the nuts in a blender.
- Grate the eggs, cut the cucumbers into strips, squeeze out the excess juice.
- Mix everything with mayonnaise, add salt and pepper, place in the form of a watermelon slice on a flat plate.
- Cover the thin part with diced tomatoes, then carefully sprinkle the “crust” with chopped herbs.
- Sprinkle finely grated cheese in the form of the white part of the watermelon rind between the herbs and tomatoes, and make seeds from pieces of olives.
Advice! For salad, the meat must be cut across the grain to make the consistency more tender.
You can use pieces of prunes as watermelon seeds
With Korean carrots
Korean-style carrots will add spice and special piquancy to the dish.
Required components:
- Chicken fillet - 0.15 kg;
- Korean carrots - 0.1 kg;
- Three tomatoes;
- Five olives;
- Two cucumbers;
- Salt and spices - to taste.
Watermelon wedge salad recipe:
- The basis of the dish is Korean carrots and meat. They need to be prepared first. You can use chicken in any form - boiled or smoked.
- Cut the fillet into small squares. This is the first layer in the salad bowl.
- The second layer is carrots. If the carrots are made too long, they should be cut. Place on top of the meat and coat with mayonnaise sauce.
- Place slices of chopped and washed tomatoes on top of the carrot layer. Sprinkle them with a variety of seasonings to suit your taste.
- Place the olives, cut in half, among the tomato surface.
- The side of the appetizer is grated cucumbers mixed with fresh dill or parsley.
- You can put the finished salad in the refrigerator to fix its shape.
Salad Watermelon slice with chicken and mushrooms
This salad requires fresh champignons.
Ingredients:
- chicken – 0.63 kg;
- mushrooms – 0.9 kg;
- Dutch cheese – 0.42 kg;
- onion – 140 g;
- egg – 8 pcs.;
- mayonnaise – 0.48 l;
- oil for frying – 60 ml;
- tomatoes – 0.36 kg;
- cucumbers – 0.38 kg;
- several olives.
Cooking steps:
- Cut the champignons into slices, chop the onion, fry in oil until tender, about 20 minutes.
- Eggs, tomatoes, meat cut into cubes.
- Grate the cucumbers.
- Lay out in layers, coating each one: meat, mushrooms and onions, eggs, cheese, leaving half for topping.
- Place squeezed tomatoes in the middle and cucumbers on the outer edge. Sprinkle a wide strip of cheese between them.
Arrange the olive seeds as you like. Watermelon slice salad can be served.
Advice! To make the salad look even more beautiful, you can grate the cucumbers using a Korean carrot grater.
Salt and seasonings must be added to the salad carefully so as not to spoil the natural taste.
Salad Watermelon slice with ham
If you don’t like boiled meat, there is a wonderful option with ham or low-fat boiled sausage.
Products:
- quality ham – 0.88 kg;
- eggs – 7 pcs.;
- hard cheese – 0.32 kg;
- mayonnaise – 320 ml;
- tomatoes – 490 g;
- cucumbers – 380 g;
- salt, seasonings;
- several olives.
How to cook:
- Place the food in layers on a plate or dish, covering it with sauce, in the form of a watermelon slice.
- Place diced ham, grated eggs, and cheese.
- Place the pulp with squeezed tomato pieces and grated cucumbers for the crust.
- Sprinkle cheese shavings between them in a semicircle.
Decorate the Watermelon wedge salad with pieces of olives.
The salad can be immediately placed on portioned plates so as not to disturb the beauty
Recipe for salad Watermelon wedge with corn
An excellent holiday snack, filling and healthy.
Ingredients:
- chicken meat – 0.56 kg;
- canned corn – 2 cans;
- egg – 11 pcs.;
- Dutch cheese – 0.29 kg;
- feta cheese (or any pickled cheese) – 0.21 kg;
- tomatoes – 330 g;
- cucumbers – 0.42 kg;
- mayonnaise – 360 ml;
- salt, pepper, a few olives.
How to cook:
- Lay out the products in layers, seasoning with sauce, seasonings and salt if necessary.
- Place chopped meat, grated eggs, and corn kernels.
- Then a layer of grated hard cheese. Cover the crust with cut into strips and squeezed cucumbers, and the pulp with small cubes of tomatoes.
- Place cheese cubes between them and make seeds from quartered olives.
Advice! Chicken eggs must be boiled for 20 minutes, then immediately filled with cold water until completely cooled - this makes them easier to clean.
To prepare such a dish, you can choose your favorite types of cheese, vegetables, herbs
Salad in the form of a watermelon slice with crab sticks
A very tender appetizer is made from crab sticks.
Compound:
- crab sticks – 0.44 kg;
- hard cheese – 470 g;
- egg – 9 pcs.;
- mayonnaise – 0.38 l;
- tomatoes – 340 g;
- fresh cucumbers – 290 g.
Cooking method:
- Cut the crab sticks into cubes, grate the cheese coarsely, leave some for decoration, chop or grate the eggs.
- Mix with mayonnaise and place on a flat surface in the shape of a crescent.
- Cut the cucumbers into strips, squeeze, add salt, and form a “crust”.
- Chop the tomatoes, drain off excess liquid, add salt, season to taste, and make “pulp”.
- Sprinkle remaining cheese between cucumbers and tomatoes.
Place the “seeds” in narrow slices of olives in random order.
To prevent tomatoes from giving excess juice, you can use only the fleshy parts
With ham
What to cook from:
- ham - 250 g;
- fresh or frozen champignons - 200 g;
- onion - one head;
- hard cheese - 150 g;
- cucumber - two pieces;
- tomato - two pieces;
- boiled eggs - three pieces;
- olives - five pieces;
- salt, lemon juice, mayonnaise, garlic, herbs.
Step-by-step instruction
- Cut the ham into small cubes.
- Fry the onion, chopped into half rings, along with chopped mushrooms in a frying pan. Add some salt at the end.
- Grate boiled eggs and cheese.
- Cut the vegetables into strips, olives into four parts.
- Prepare the dressing: mix garlic, herbs and lemon juice with mayonnaise.
- Lay the salad in layers in the shape of a semicircle: ham, grated eggs, sauce, mushrooms and onions, sauce, cheese.
- Garnish the appetizer with tomatoes, leaving a small area of cheese on the outer edge. Place cucumbers on the side. Complete the composition with “seeds” from olives, which are randomly distributed over the red area.
To make the salad as juicy and tasty as possible, it is recommended to place the dish in the refrigerator for 60 minutes before decorating.
Salad Watermelon slice with smoked chicken
A magnificent dish with a stunning aroma will decorate the festive table and will please the guests.
Prepare:
- smoked chicken breast (or other parts freed from skin and bones) – 460 g;
- hard cheese – 0.43 kg;
- egg – 8 pcs.;
- mayonnaise – 290 ml;
- dill, parsley – 30 g;
- cucumbers – 390 g;
- tomatoes – 320 g.
How to apply:
- The first layer is diced meat mixed with sauce.
- Then chopped or grated eggs, some greens.
- Divide the grated cheese, leaving some for sprinkling, and place the rest in the next layer.
- Grate the cucumbers coarsely, mix with herbs, add salt, add spices to taste, squeeze out the juice and put in a crust.
- Cut the tomatoes into slices and place them in the form of pulp.
- Sprinkle the remaining cheese in a semi-circle between them.
Garnish with thin slices of olives or other suitable products.
Men especially love this amazing snack.
With nuts
What to cook from:
- smoked chicken breast - 350 g;
- hard cheese - 200 g;
- cucumber - two pieces;
- tomato - two pieces;
- walnuts (or peanuts) - a small handful;
- olives - five pieces;
- salt, mayonnaise, herbs.
Step-by-step instruction
- Remove skin and bones from the smoked chicken and cut into small pieces along with half the olives.
- Lightly fry the nuts for five minutes.
- Mix chopped herbs with mayonnaise.
- Coarsely grate the cheese and chop the nuts.
- Combine smoked meats with nuts and cheese in one container, seasoning them with sauce.
- Place the resulting mixture on a flat plate in a crescent shape.
- Sprinkle the entire area of the salad with a thin layer of tomatoes, then place chopped cucumbers mixed with herbs along the edge.
- Finally, add pieces of olives that imitate watermelon seeds.
You can add veal and apple to the “nut” version of the snack. Then it will be even more useful. If in a dish prepared without eggs, smoked breast is replaced with boiled breast, and mayonnaise with natural yogurt or sour cream, then it will become dietary.
Salad Watermelon slice with champignons and rice
An excellent dish for the daily and holiday table.
You need to take:
- boiled long rice – 200 g;
- ham or boiled sausage without fat – 0.84 kg;
- champignons – 0.67 kg;
- onion – 230 g;
- egg – 7-8 pcs.;
- parmesan – 350 g;
- tomatoes – 420 g;
- cucumbers – 380 g;
- sweet pepper – 240 g;
- mayonnaise – 360 ml;
- oil for frying – 55 ml.
How to cook:
- Cut the champignons into cubes, fry in oil until the liquid evaporates, add spices, salt, onion and fry until golden brown, stirring.
- Place the ham cubes on a dish in a crescent shape, then place the cooled roast.
- On them are chopped eggs with mayonnaise, diced peppers and rice, then some finely grated Parmesan.
- Grate the cucumbers, squeeze, add salt, and place on the outside.
- Finely chop the tomatoes, drain the juice, and arrange into a slice.
- Sprinkle strips of Parmesan cheese and garnish with olives.
Advice! After cooking, it is advisable to put the appetizer in the refrigerator for 30-50 minutes so that the layers are properly soaked.
All boiled ingredients for the salad must be cooled, otherwise it will quickly spoil
How to prepare Watermelon wedge salad with Korean carrots
The spicy appetizer is perfect for the New Year's table.
Products:
- smoked meat – 0.92 kg;
- ready-made Korean carrots – 0.77 kg;
- sour cream or homemade mayonnaise – 430 ml;
- potatoes – 0.89 kg;
- dill greens – 60 g;
- Russian cheese – 650 g;
- tomatoes – 580 g.
How to cook:
- In a deep bowl, mix pieces of meat, carrots, boiled potato cubes, some greens and grated cheese.
- Salt, pepper, add most of the sauce.
- Place in a flat salad bowl in the shape of a crescent, coat with the remaining sauce.
- Sprinkle the outer side with chopped herbs, lay out a slice of tomato pieces without juice and seeds, and sprinkle a strip of cheese between them.
Make seeds from oblong olive slices.
You can take any greens you like
With smoked chicken
The appetizer can be prepared not only in the form of a slice, but also in the form of a whole watermelon. It can be filled with anything, for example, smoked chicken.
List of components:
- Smoked chicken meat - 0.2 kg;
- Two tomatoes;
- Hard cheese 0.2 kg;
- One cucumber;
- Olives, herbs, mayonnaise - to taste;
- Nuts.
How to cook:
- Remove excess skin from smoked chicken.
- Shred the meat into small strips and add some grated cheese to it.
- Walnuts are deshelled and separated into small pieces.
- They are added to the bulk of the salad along with olives and mayonnaise.
- Place the meat mixture in the center of the plate.
- Let's start decorating. Sprinkle the outer edge of the salad with cheese.
- The second surrounding layer is grated small cucumbers.
- Flat surface snack - tomatoes cut into pieces, flesh side up. Black olives complete the picture - representing watermelon seeds.
Salad Watermelon slice with grapes
An original, amazingly tasty Watermelon Slice salad will become the center of the festive table.
You need to take the following products:
- meat – 840 g;
- boiled carrots – 0.43 kg;
- egg – 8 pcs.;
- parmesan – 190 g;
- soft cream cheese unsalted – 170 g;
- canned champignons – 380 ml;
- green grapes – 300 g;
- pomegranate seeds – 320 g;
- sour cream or mayonnaise – 180 ml.
Preparation:
- Finely chop the mushrooms and meat, grate Parmesan and carrots.
- Separate the whites from the yolks and chop finely.
- Mix everything except the whites together with half the sauce, add salt to taste.
- Arrange the salad in a semicircle.
- Beat soft cheese, part of the sauce and egg whites in a blender into a homogeneous mass, add salt if necessary.
- Coat the slice with the prepared mixture, lay out the outer edge with grape halves, pressing lightly, decorate the inner edge with pomegranate seeds, leave a white stripe between them.
You can sprinkle with chopped prunes. A great appetizer: Watermelon slice is ready.
Instead of olives, you can use pieces of black or purple grapes
Recipe for salad “Watermelon wedge” with pomegranate, pineapples and grapes
The bright fruity taste and unusual design of the salad in the form of a piece of watermelon will surprise children and adults. The unusual combination of products gives tenderness, such a salad will even be a pity to eat, because the charm of its appearance will disappear after mixing on the plate.
Ingredients:
- small boiled chicken breast;
- 1 onion;
- a can of canned sweet pineapples;
- a jar of champignons;
- 150 grams of cheese;
- mayonnaise;
- a small sprig of green grapes, it is better to take seedless sultanas;
- pomegranate;
- several olives.
Preparation:
- The champignons must be chopped and fried with onion pieces.
- Boiled chicken and pineapples from a can should be finely chopped.
- The grapes must be separated from the branches and cut into halves. The olives should be cut into pieces.
- The pomegranate needs to be peeled and divided into grains.
- Mix mushrooms with onions, pieces of chicken, pineapple, and mayonnaise in a dish. Place everything on a plate in the shape of a watermelon slice.
- We tightly distribute the pomegranate seeds on top in the form of pulp. We make the rind from pressed grape halves, placing them with the cuts inward.
- Place pieces of olives in random order on top.
All versions of this salad, original in taste and design, will appeal to family and guests. The unusual appearance in the shape of a watermelon slice will make you interested in the dish and definitely want to try it. You can hide any products under a beautiful top, experimenting with unusual combinations of ingredients.
Salad Watermelon slice with pine nuts
A wonderful dish that is also suitable for children.
List of required products:
- chicken fillet – 0.68 kg;
- cream cheese – 280 g;
- egg – 8 pcs.;
- pine nuts – 440 g;
- sour cream or unsweetened yogurt – 0.48 l;
- tomatoes – 0.39 kg;
- cucumbers – 0.32 kg.
How to cook:
- Separate the whites from the yolks and grate.
- Wash the nuts and dry them in a frying pan until golden brown.
- Finely chop the meat, grate the cucumbers, squeeze well, add salt.
- Cut the tomatoes into cubes, drain the juice, add salt.
- Coarsely grate the cheese.
- Mix chopped yolks, nuts, meat and cheese with sauce, place in a semicircle on a dish.
- Sprinkle with egg whites, place a layer of cucumbers on the side, place tomatoes on top, leaving a narrow white border - a watermelon rind.
Cut the olives into oblong slices and decorate the finished salad.
Garnish with basil or mint leaves, a slice of lemon, and olives
Salad Watermelon slice with tuna and... cottage cheese
This unusual salad will appeal to those who love fish dishes.
You need to take:
- tuna in its own juice – 640 ml;
- egg – 7 pcs.;
- cottage cheese – 430 g;
- boiled carrots – 360 g;
- tomatoes – 340 g;
- cucumbers – 370 g;
- mayonnaise – 340 ml;
- boiled rice – 200 g.
Preparation:
- Peel the eggs, finely grate the whites into a separate plate, chop the yolks.
- Drain the broth from the canned food and chop the fish.
- Grate the carrots, mix all the ingredients except the proteins, add salt and pepper.
- Season with sauce, place in a crescent shape, sprinkle with egg whites.
- Cut the cucumbers into strips, the fleshy part of the tomatoes into rectangles, add salt if necessary.
- Place the crust on the outside, and the watermelon pulp with the tomato slices turned upside down, leaving a white stripe.
Garnish with thinly sliced olives or black caviar kernels.
It is acceptable to use any boiled or salted fish, including canned fish in its own juice.
Salad recipe Watermelon wedge with pineapple
An excellent option for those who love savory dishes.
Compound:
- smoked meat – 0.75 kg;
- canned pineapple – 280 ml;
- hard cream cheese – 320 g;
- canned corn – 230 ml;
- eggs – 10 pcs.;
- tomatoes – 500 g;
- mayonnaise – 480 ml;
- greens to taste – 60 g.
How to cook:
- Chop the meat and herbs. Drain the juice from the canned food and chop the pineapple finely.
- Grate the cheese, divide in half, cut the eggs into cubes or chop with a knife.
- Separate the fleshy parts of the tomatoes along with the peel and cut into cubes.
- Mix all products except herbs, tomatoes and half the cheese, add mayonnaise, salt, spices to taste.
- Place the mixture in a beautiful crescent shape in the shape of a watermelon slice, sprinkle the outside side generously with herbs.
- Place the tomato slices, skin side up, and sprinkle the cheese in a narrow strip along the edge.
Cut the olives into 6-8 pieces, place them skin side up in the form of seeds.
For the Watermelon wedge salad, you can also use fresh pineapple by separating and cutting the pulp
Recipe for “Watermelon slice” salad with tomatoes, smoked breast and eggs
This version of the salad is more high-calorie, filling, and will appeal to children and even men for its unusual appearance and piquant taste. Eggs and smoked chicken add richness to the dish, olives add spice.
Ingredients:
Preparation:
- The smoked breast must be peeled from the thin skin and cut into small slices.
- Boiled eggs should be peeled and chopped with a knife.
- Cut the green onions into rings and grate the cheese quite finely.
- Remove the pulp and seeds from the tomatoes and cucumbers and finely chop the peel.
- Remove the olives from the jar, let the water drain, and cut them into small pieces.
- We spread the salad in even layers, greasing each of them with mayonnaise: smoked chicken, grated cheese, cucumber, eggs.
- Place tomato slices on top and decorate the side with a mixture of green onions and cucumbers. The border between vegetables can be marked with mayonnaise.
- All that remains is to decorate the top with olives and put it in the refrigerator for a while.
Unusual design:
- You can replace the pieces of olives with small rye crackers, this will give an even more original look to this bright salad.
- If you don’t have a fresh cucumber, you can use a pickled one; this will add heat and spice to the dish.