Watermelon and Mint Salad5 (1)
Often the best Salads are the simple ones, and that couldn’t be truer here. This delicious Watermelon and Mint Salad is so easy to prepare and tastes great! Naturally given the ingredients this Salad is ideally served during the warm Summer months. Watermelon is at its peak during the Summer, and its watery, refreshing flavor offers an amazing respite from the hot weather. The pairing with Mint is the perfect combination of ingredients, ensuring this dish will be a guaranteed hit!
How to make a refreshing Watermelon and Mint Salad
This is seriously one of the easiest salads you can make at home. The trick to getting the best flavor out of this salad all comes down to the ingredients. Watermelons can be found all year around now, however they taste their absolute best in the Summertime. Their natural sweetness is at its best, and that flavor really does come through in the Salad
So really, the trick to perfecting this dish is less about any kind of cooking skills, but more about the time of year the Salad is made. Sourcing great quality ingredients is the cornerstone to any great dish, and that is definitely the case with our Watermelon and Mint Salad
Other than the Watermelon, the second key ingredient is of course, the Mint. Mint is less seasonal and will taste just as good during the middle of Winter as it will in the summertime. Always aim for the freshest Mint you can find. Go for Mint leaves that are bright and bushy. If you’re super-fancy, you can even try to grow your own Mint at home with a simple herb garden! This will ensure the best quality herbs all year round
A classic Watermelon Salad also includes some freshly diced Cucumber and thinly sliced Red Onion. With the Cucumber there is no need to peel or deseed then. Just dice them up and throw them into the Salad!
I like to let the Red Onion soak in the Lemon Juice and Salt for about 10 minutes before adding the remaining ingredients. This will help to slightly pickle them, and take some of that harshness you sometimes get when eating raw Red Onion
No need for a big dressing, the ingredients offer all the flavor needed!
For most Salads a strongly flavored dressing or vinaigrette is required to really bring out the flavor in the ingredients. That’s not the case with this Watermelon and Mint Salad. The ingredients themselves pack in so much flavor, that no dressing is required
If you were to make a big dressing, it will just overpower the freshness of the ingredients. So, all you need to add to the Salad is a little bit of Lemon Juice and (optional) Balsamic Glaze right before serving and you are set. A touch of Salt also can’t hurt, as Salt will bring out more of the natural sweetness of the ingredients
We finish this delicious Salad with some crunchy Pistachio Nuts and Goats Cheese
Nothing completes a great homemade Salad more than some great toppings! You can get creative with whatever toppings you like for this Salad. We’ve opted for a beautiful combination of Pistachio Nuts and creamy Goats Cheese. The combination of these two ingredients offers the perfect contrast of crunch and creamy textures, while also adding brilliant flavors to the dish
What you’re looking for when adding toppings to Salads is great textural enhancements that also taste great. Roughly chopped Nuts are always a great choice for that reason. We’ve opted for Pistachio Nuts because we love their taste. However, you can substitute them for any other type of Nuts that you prefer
Croutons are also another great alternative textural component you can add to the Watermelon and Mint Salad. You can make your own Croutons from scratch at home too! Just check out our simple recipe for homemade Croutons
Goats Cheese adds a beautiful creamy texture and a wonderful flavor to the dish. It offers a striking visual on the plate, and once it starts to melt a bit, becomes so tasty alongside that sweet Watermelon. You can replace the Goats Cheese with Feta Cheese if you like, or exclude it completely for a 100% Vegan meal
What’s a good protein to pair with Watermelon Salad?
This is quite a light salad, and as such does benefit from being served with lighter proteins. It’s naturally at home with Seafood. Salmon, Tuna, any Whitefish and Shellfish is going to taste amazing alongside this Salad
As Watermelon is quite a sweet fruit, it will pair very well with Duck. So instead of a typical Duck and Cherry, or Duck and Mango pairing, try it with some Watermelon. Overall, this is not going to be an exceptionally filling meal, but if you’re looking for something light to enjoy when it’s hot outside, nothing is going to match this amazing Watermelon and Mint Salad
There are loads of great recipes on Dinnertime Somewhere that we recommend enjoying with this Salad. Here are four recipes you should try alongside it:
Recipe Details
4 people
10 minutes
NA
10 minutes
Watermelon and Mint Salad Recipe
Ingredients
- ¼ Large Watermelon
- ½ cup of Mint
- 1 Cucumber, diced
- ½ Red Onion, finely sliced
- Juice of ½ a Lemon
- ¼ cup Pistachio Nuts, roughly chopped
- 1 tbsp. Goats Cheese or Feta Cheese
- ½ tsp. Salt
- 1 tsp. Balsamic Glaze (optional)
Instructions
- Squeeze the Lemon Juice into a large bowl and add the Salt and Red Onions. Allow the Onions to sit in the Juice for about 10 minutes to slightly pickle them
- Slice the Watermelon into cubes about 1-inch thick. Try to keep them as evenly sized as possible
- Add the Watermelon, Cucumber, and Mint into the bowl with the Lemon Juice and Onions and mix well
- Plate on individual plates and finish with a drizzle of Balsamic Vinegar, some Goats Cheese and Pistachio Nuts
Recipe Notes
- This refreshing Salad is best enjoyed immediately. It won’t keep that well, but you can refrigerate it overnight and it’ll still be fine to enjoy the next day
- You can replace the Goats Cheese with Feta Cheese and the Pistachio Nuts with your favorite Nuts
That’s our super-simple recipe to make an amazing Watermelon and Mint Salad. It’s the perfect Salad to enjoy during those hot summer months as it is light, refreshing, and most importantly of all – tasty!
When it’s hot outside we’ve got you covered for Summertime cooking. Here are a few of our favorite dishes to enjoy during the warm months:
Happy Cooking!
