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"set it off" watermelon wedge salad

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Simple 5-ingredient watermelon salad recipe that you can eat with your hands!

watermelon salad on a plate topped with mustard green chimichurri sauce

This salad is what I consider a lazy salad. I basically wanted to make a salad featuring watermelon but didn’t want to use utensils nor chop up a bunch of vegetables. So, in the end, I just flipped things. The watermelon would be the star and the vessel for which to eat the salad.

There are certain ingredients that just set watermelon off - salt, olive oil, and lime. With these ingredients in mind, I was halfway there with my salad creation. Salt and lime juice enhance the flavor in pretty much anything it touches. I have my “vinaigrette” now just had to figure out the salad part.

Elements of this Watermelon Salad

Rather than going all “salady” I decided to take the chimichurri or ceviche route. If you’re unfamiliar, chimichurri is an Argentinean condiment used often with grilled meats. It featured olive oil, fresh parsley, garlic, and chilis. I tweaked and simplified using only fresh cilantro, mustard greens, lime juice, and rice vinegar. Good mustard greens carry a spicy kick, which in a green way mimics the chilis used in a chimichurri sauce.

These few ingredients balance each other well. The sweetness of the watermelon checks the kick of the greens. The lime juice adds brightness, while the greens and cilantro provide that garden salad element. At the end of the day, you get da bomb wedges of watermelon with so little effort. I honestly feel guilty for posting this as a “recipe” when it’s literally just something I threw together to eat more watermelon.

Watermelon Salad Cooking Tips

  • It goes without saying, but choose a good watermelon
  • Don’t shy away from spicy mustard greens. They’re perfect for pairing with watermelon.
  • Slice the watermelon with rind attached so you can enjoy it properly, with your hands
  • Don't sweat the small white seeds, but definitely pick out or spit out the larger black ones
  • Save the rinds for use in a pickled relish
  • For a more traditional salad - remove the rinds, chopped the melon into squares, add cucumbers, red onions and feta.

Making Watermelon Salad

If you make this simple and tasty watermelon salad please come back and leave me a comment below with your feedback. Definitely take a photo of the dish and be sure to tag #foodfidelity so that I can see them.

You can also keep up with my food exploits as well as original recipes! You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest. If you like any of the music you find on the site, visit me at Spotify or iTunes to find curated monthly playlists.

For other watermelon based recipes try this roasted watermelon steak or grilled watermelon. I like to serve this cooling, refreshing salad after a spicy pasta dish like this pasta with harissa shrimp dish.

watermelon salad on a plate topped with mustard green chimichurri sauce

watermelon salad on a plate topped with mustard green chimichurri sauce

Watermelon Wedge Salad

Simple 5-ingredient watermelon salad recipe that is refreshing and surprisingly complex in flavor.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American, Modern Soul Food
Servings: 4 people
Calories: 404kcal
Author: Marwin Brown

Ingredients

  • 1 small watermelon cut into wedges about an inch thick
  • ¼ cup mustard greens chopped
  • 1 bunch fresh cilantro
  • 2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 whole lime juiced
  • 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 teaspoon course ground black pepper

Instructions

  • Mix greens, cilantro, olive oil, vinegar and lime juice in a mixing bowl.
  • Arrange the watermelon wedges on a large plate or platter. Top each wedge with oil mixture. Season with salt and pepper.

Video

YouTube video

Notes

Feel free to substitute kosher salt for the sea salt.

Nutrition

Calories: 404kcal | Carbohydrates: 86g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 595mg | Potassium: 1298mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 70g | Vitamin A: 6640IU | Vitamin C: 94.1mg | Calcium: 88mg | Iron: 2.9mg
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