With the sweetness of watermelon, tangy feta, mint, and lime, this watermelon mojito salad is a fresh summer salad perfect for a picnic, potluck, BBQ, or easy dinner at home!
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- Why You'll Love This Watermelon Mojito Salad Recipe
- What You'll Need for Mojito Watermelon Salad
- How to Make This Watermelon Salad
- Recommended Equipment
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- Variations
- How to Store Mojito Fruit Salad
- Expert Tips
- How to Serve Watermelon Feta Salad
- More Salad Recipes to Try
- 📖 Recipe
- 💬 Comments
Why You'll Love This Watermelon Mojito Salad Recipe
If you're a fan of the refreshing flavor of mojitos, you need to try this watermelon mojito salad recipe!
It's a quick, refreshing and easy summer salad that makes the perfect side dish or fruit salad.
With sweet watermelon, tangy feta cheese, chopped mint and zesty chili lime dressing, this bright and fresh recipe highlights summer's best flavors!
Plus, there's no actual rum in this recipe, so you can bring it to any type of gathering, whether it's a potluck, BBQ, dinner, or a summer picnic. It's perfect with grilled chicken or steak, fish tacos, or any of your favorite summer dishes!
What You'll Need for Mojito Watermelon Salad
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- Watermelon You can buy a whole, fresh watermelon, mini watermelon, or pre-cut watermelon. Some stores will also sell watermelon slices you can use. Just be sure it's cut into bite-sized pieces for easy eating.
- Crumbled Feta Cheese You can buy crumbled feta cheese at the grocery store, or you can buy a block of feta cheese and crumble it by hand.
- Mint Fresh mint leaves bring a bright, fresh flavor to this salad.
- Limes I recommend using freshly juiced limes, but you can also buy bottled lime juice if fresh limes aren't available.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil If you have access to good-quality olive oil, now is a good opportunity to use it. With relatively few ingredients, the olive oil will shine here.
- Salt I recommend using kosher salt in all of my recipes. It's less salty per teaspoon than sea salt or table salt, making it easier to taste as you go and harder to oversalt your food.
- Chili Powder I love the chili powders from Sonoran Spice Company. They have a wide variety of delicious chili products that range from relatively mild to super spicy. You can use regular chili powder, cayenne, chipotle, or any other chili powder you like.
How to Make This Watermelon Salad
Step One Cut the watermelon into approximately one-inch by one-inch cubes.
Step Two Pick the mint leaves from their stem, stack them, and roll them, holding them in place with your fingers.
Step Three Slice crosswise across the mint to create a chiffonade (thin slice).
Step Four Combine the lime juice, chili powder, salt, and olive oil in a small bowl or jar with a lid.
Step Five Shake or stir well to combine.
Step Six Plate the watermelon, top it with feta and mint, and drizzle the lime dressing over top, toss, then serve!
Recommended Equipment
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Watermelon pairs well with tangy and fresh flavors like lime juice and fresh herbs. Chili powder is also a classic pairing with watermelon as the heat complements the sweetness of the melon. Tangy, salty feta cheese is another common pairing with watermelon. The sweetness and saltiness create a delicious, balanced bite.
Watermelon salad goes well with other summer dishes, like grilled meats and fish, burgers, sausages, or anything else you might put on the grill. For more idea, see the "How to Serve Watermelon Feta Salad" section below.
When selecting a watermelon, look for a yellow field spot (the little dot on the top or bottom end of the watermelon). This indicates the watermelon has ripened for longer on the plant and is more likely to be sweet.
You can also perform a "thump test." A ripe watermelon will have a hollow, deep sound when you knock on the rind with your hand.
Variations
- Berry Salad You can add more fruit to the salad, like a handful of fresh berries. Blueberry or strawberry would be delicious!
- Cucumber You can add another fresh flavor to this salad with some chopped cucumbers. Watermelon and cucumber make a super delicious summer salad.
- Jicama Try adding some refreshing chopped jicama to this salad.
- Basil Try adding some fresh basil to this salad! Basil and mint are an excellent pairing for light summer recipes.
How to Store Mojito Fruit Salad
I recommend serving and eating this salad right away, but you can save the leftovers for a few days.
Fridge Store the salad in an airtight container. It can last up to 4 days in the fridge.
Freezer I do not recommend freezing this dish.
Expert Tips
- When selecting mint, choose a bright green bunch that is fragrant and appears healthy. You do not have wilted leaves, brown, or black spots on the mint.
- You can eat the white seeds in a watermelon, so don't go through the trouble of trying to remove them. Black seeds are also safe to eat, but they can be a bit hard to chew. You can either remove them yourself or buy a seedless watermelon variety.
- Be sure to taste as you go! Once you've made the vinaigrette, give it a taste to ensure it tastes balanced to you. You can also adjust the whole salad with a bit more lime juice, salt, or any of the other ingredients before serving.
How to Serve Watermelon Feta Salad
This melon salad is an excellent summer side. It's great for a BBQ, picnic, or easy dinner at home! You can pair this salad with...
Chicken A piece of grilled chicken with cilantro crema or some grilled chile lime chicken.
Steak This would be delicious alongside some grilled carne asada.
Fish These blackened fish tacos are great with a side of watermelon salad, as is this grilled sockeye salmon.
Turkey Burgers Try this salad with turkey smash burgers or these fun turkey burger sliders!
Shrimp This Old Bay shrimp is packed with flavor and delicious with watermelon salad.
Cocktails, Mocktails & Other Drinks Be sure to round out your meal with a refreshing drink. I recommend this Rebujito cocktail, strawberry basil smash, or this strawberry mojito mocktail. This strawberry limeade is another great option.
Dessert Try this tasty blueberry ice cream for dessert!
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment 💬 and a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ rating below! You can also tag us @twocloveskitchen on Instagram or follow us on Facebook!
More Salad Recipes to Try
📖 Recipe
Watermelon Mojito Salad
Equipment
- Screw-top Jar or Small Bowl
- Large Serving Dish
- Serving Spoons
Ingredients
- 5 cups watermelon about ¼ large watermelon or 1 small watermelon, rind removed, diced
- 4 ounces feta crumbled
- ¼ cup mint finely chopped
- ¼ cup olive oil extra virgin
- ¼ cup lime juice
- ½ to 1 teaspoon chili powder
- kosher salt to taste
Instructions
- Cut the watermelon into approximately one-inch by one-inch cubes.
- Pick the mint leaves from their stem, stack them, and roll them.
- Slice crosswise across the mint to create a chiffonade (thin slice).
- Combine the lime juice, olive oil, salt, and chili powder to a jar or small bowl and shake or stir well to combine.
- Add the watermelon to a large serving plate or bowl and top it with feta and mint.
- Drizzle the lime dressing to taste over top of the salad, then serve!
Notes
- Add as much or as little vinaigrette as you'd like here. Some people prefer a more lightly dressed watermelon salad.
- Try serving this salad as a side with something grilled: chicken, fish, steak, and vegetables are all delicious with this dish.
- I recommend serving and eating this salad right away, but you can save the leftovers for a few days.
- Fridge Store the salad in an airtight container. It can last up to 4 days in the fridge.
- Freezer I do not recommend freezing this dish.
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