Watermelon Salad

There’s very little that beats an icy-cold watermelon on a hot day, and it’s certainly a refreshing treat straight from the fridge. But if you want to really do something fun with watermelon, turn it into a salad. Yes, watermelon salad. 

What Ingredients Are in Watermelon Salad?

I first fell in love with a version of this in Nigella Lawson’s cookbook, “Forever Summer.” This recipe proves that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. There aren’t a lot of ingredients, but they all play off each other well. Watermelon chunks are tossed with some fresh mint left whole and large, kind of like salad greens, along with tangy feta, cool and crisp cucumber, and a bit of an acidic bite from red onion steeped in lime juice. 

The Key to Complex Flavor: (Quick) Pickle Your Onions

The onion marinates in the lime juice for just 10 to 15 minutes which helps soften its bite. You can certainly leave the onion in the juice longer if you like; it’ll just taste more pickled if that’s what you’re going for. The juices are then incorporated into the salad dressing because you’ve already made some good flavors there, so why not put that slightly pickled juice to good use? 

Choosing a Ripe Watermelon and Keeping It Fresh

Make It Your Own

I’ve been making variations of this salad for years, with other greens (parsley or basil work), or other kinds of cheese, such as goat cheese. Olives will turn this in a more Greek direction and provide even more salty contrast. Using arugula instead of mint gives this salad a peppery bite that’s great against the sweet watermelon.

What To Serve With Watermelon Salad

You can serve this watermelon salad as a side with a whole bunch of grilled foods (chicken is especially good here, or salmon), and it’ll be hard to resist. Or, try this as a light lunch alongside gazpacho. And we’ve all had those days when it’s too hot to cook or even grill. Sometimes the heat steals our appetite, but this cool and crunchy watermelon salad is the perfect antidote.

Tips for Making Watermelon Salad

• To seed or not to seed—Using seedless watermelon and seedless cucumber makes this easier to eat, but it’s not essential. Don’t sweat it if you can’t find either. It’ll be delicious with fresh seasonal produce, regardless. 
• Chilled is best—You can eat this salad right away if your watermelon has been in the fridge and is already cold, or chill it for a half hour or so before serving. 
• Mint makes it better—Leaving the mint whole makes this more salad-like and bumps up the minty taste. It also makes good use of any mint you might have growing rampant in your garden. 
• Size matters—Cut the watermelon into 1-inch chunks or cubes, slightly larger than the cucumbers, which can be pieces that are about 1/2-inch in size. The watermelon is the star here, so the pieces should be bigger.

Make Ahead

Since chopping the watermelon is the most time consuming part, you can do that ahead of time–even the night before is fine. Just store it in a lidded container in the fridge. You can also assemble everything except the dressing a couple of hours ahead of time. Toss it with the dressing right before serving.