salted watermelon, avocado & mint salad.
/
super fresh summer salad, comin’ atcha.
this is a riff on a watermelon & mint salad i had a couple summers ago…
ohh emm geee, it is so. good. so much flavor and way way way fresh.
i added avocado for texture & creaminess, lime and black pepper and sooo much mint to this version.
i made this salad last week and brought it on our friend’s boat that afternoon thinking i needed to try and use it the same day, but that it would get soggy and nobody would want any…
but it actually stayed crisp & fresh and was gobbled right up.
i have a video of our friend’s sister giving the watermelon salad a real-time review on the boat which i’ll just let serve as the blog post for this recipe, because she really says it all!
here’s her direct quote that sounds like actual poetry now that i’m listening & reading it back 😂.
“the lightness.
the burst.
it feels like sunshine coming from your core, spreading outside.
the balance of sweet and salt, and just light with the mint just coooating over - just bruuushing over.
the mint!
beautiful.”
me: “it’s the mint, right?!”
salad poet: “it’s the mint…. it’s the mint.
because the honeydew meets the watermelon…..”
me: “i hate honeydew!”
salad poet: “i don’t like either of them. but the marriage of those two together, with the mint - it’s a beautiful balance.
beautiful. it’s actually perfect.”
me: “how do you feel about the avocado?”
salad poet: “if you’re looking for some zesty flavor - it’s going to balance it out with a bit of - i don’t know, it’s like it’s comforting you - it’s giving you a big hug. the watermelon hugs all that flavor together…
and the avocado….. it’s bliss!
…and the mint.
avocado, watermelon, honeydew, mint…..”
me: “we hate half of those things, but we love them together.”
salad poet: “it’s true.”
she didn’t mention the pickled red onions in the real-time review, but those are a key player in this flavor explosion. do yerself a favor and just start making pickled red onions every week and keep them in a jar in the fridge.
this salad is sooooo delicious and fresh and perfect for summer. i want to eat it every day.
in fact, i am sooo into the mint in this salad that i’ve been putting mint on all the things. i often cut up cherry tomatoes & cucumbers for a snack and just toss with salt & pepp and some feta - now i add mint, and yum! it’s just so light & lovely and adds a great layer of fun flava.
i want to make lots of summery salads using fruit and herbs now. i feel like just by having summer fruit around and a handful of extra ingredients ready to go, you can have a lot of combinations of the most refreshing, crisp, light, cooling, flavorful summer salads.
this cucumber, peach & prosciutto salad from last summer is also a winner, and has a wee bit of added protein, too!
and of course, my bff, mint.
Salted Watermelon, Avocado & Mint Salad
Serves 2-4
Total Time: 15 minutes
Ingredients:
1/2 a watermelon, the firmest parts cubed
1/2 a honeydew melon, cubed
1 medium avocado, firm - not too ripe - sliced
1/2 cup pickled red onion slivers
1/4 cup feta crumbles
juice of 1 lime
lots of fresh mint, torn or chopped
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
2 tsp. flaky sea salt, like Maldon
Instructions -
Cube the firmest parts of the watermelon, discarding any mealy or super seeded parts. Cube the honeydew melon. Chill the melon cubes in the fridge and prep the other ingredients.
Gently toss all ingredients together with the chilled melon. Top with extra lime juice, flaky sea salt and fresh mint. Serve immediately or same-day.
qp
