Meet my new favorite 5-ingredient summer side dish (OK well 7 ingredients if you include the pantry staples salt and olive oil): a salty, sweet, and tangy watermelon cucumber salad.
Normally I shy away from raw onions, but they totally work in this recipe because they “marinate” slightly in the lemon and watermelon juice.
The flavors in this salad are so unexpected, yet so PERFECT with one another.
I think you could already tell from this dish that I just adore anything that contrasts salty with sweet.
We enjoyed this salad as a snack (it made 6 perfect servings), but I would highly recommend it as a side at your next grill-out alongside barbecue chicken or pork.
Labor Day weekend perhaps?
xoxo,
peaches & cake
Watermelon Cucumber Salad
Recipe very slightly adapted from Cooking Light, July 2013
Makes 6 servings. Time: 15 minutes
Perfect as a side dish to a barbecue spread or as a snack.
- 2 Tbsp. good-quality olive oil or basil-infused olive oil
- 4 tsp. fresh lemon juice (from about 1 large juicy lemon)
- ΒΌ tsp. sea salt, plus more to taste
- 4 cups cubed seedless watermelon (from about 1 personal size watermelon)
- 1 large or 2 medium English seedless cucumbers, peeled and cubed
- Β½ cup thinly vertically sliced red onion
- 4 Tbsp. thinly sliced fresh basil (for tips on how to chiffonade basil, go here.)
Combine olive oil, lemon juice, and salt in a large bowl, stirring well. Add watermelon, cucumber, and onion; toss to coat well. Sprinkle salad with basil. Season to taste with additional olive oil, lemon, sea salt, and/or basil, as desired.
Click here for tips on storing leftover basil.
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