Nothing says summer like watermelon. This watermelon salad has everything you could ask for. Fresh herbs and cucumber make this salad refreshing and perfect for a hot day. It is best served chilled and is perfect for a day at the pool.Â
This salad came about when I wanted to make something for a “dinner with friends” that a group of us in Austin used to do at least once a month. It started out with just me a another couple but soon grew to encompass our whole friend group. This dish ended up being one of the most requested sides that I would make for the potluck especially in the summer.Â
In this recipe
This recipe is very minimal and quite easy to throw together. The watermelon is the star of this dish and comes through amazingly. The key is to make sure that you pick a good one. The cucumber and onion pair well with the fresh herbs. Since basil is abundant during the hot summer months this is a great recipe to use some of it up.Â
Choosing a good watermelon
One of the most important parts of this recipe is to make sure that you choose a good watermelon. One of the first things that you want to look for is the spot on the watermelon that was resting on the ground called the ground or field spot. This is going to either be white or yellow in color. You want to make sure that you find a watermelon with a yellow spot not a white one. The deeper the yellow color means it spent more time ripening on the vine.Â
The next thing that you will want to look out for is the webbing on the outside of the watermelon. This is very good to see so you want to see as much of it as you can. The reason for this is because when bees pollinate the flower the watermelon grows from they cause the web scarring. The better the pollination the better the watermelon flavor and the more webbing you will see.Â
Making the watermelon salad
One of the things about this salad is that there is a lot of water in the ingredients. A way to help remove some of the water is by using salt. The salt in the recipe will help with that but another way is to toss the cucumbers and watermelon in a LOT of salt. Like 1/2 a cup. Then after about 10-20 minutes rinse the salt off. Otherwise the dish will be too salty to consume. After that mis all of the ingredients together per the recipe instructions.
Looking for other salad recipes?
Refreshing Watermelon Salad
Equipment
- Mixing Bowl
- Colander
Ingredients
- 6 cups watermelon cubed
- 1 cup onion diced
- 2 cups cucumber seedless, cubed
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- ½ tsp salt
- 2 tbsp fresh dill
- 2 tbsp fresh basil
Instructions
- In a bowl toss the watermelon, cucumber and salt. Pour into a colander and let sit for 10 minutes to remove some of the water.
- Once the watermelon and cucumber have been drained place them back into the mixing bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and mix to combine.
- Can be served immediately but it is best served chilled.
Nutrition
