Food Ingredients Fruits Watermelon 7 Refreshing Ways to Make Watermelon Salad This Weekend Pair juicy watermelon with rich cheese, earthy tomato, contrasting herbs, and more for the classic summer side dish. By Ashley Day Ashley Day Ashley Day is Food & Wine's associate editorial director. She's edited and directed food and travel content at USA TODAY, the Institute of Culinary Education, and Chef & Restaurant magazine, and contributed to The Food Institute, The Daily Meal, and the recipe app meez. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Published on July 4, 2024 Close Photo: Photo by Antonis Achilleos / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Thom Driver Make the most of peak watermelons with these showstopping cookout starters or sides. Juicy watermelon plays well with mint, feta, and more contrasting flavors and textures, including summer produce partners like cucumbers, radishes, and tomatoes. You can even add a bit of heat with cayenne pepper, chiles, or jalapeño. These dishes deliver crowd-pleasing perfection, served with drizzles of olive oil, quick dressings, or a fun dip. With recipes from the likes of Jacques Pépin and Tom Colicchio, these are our favorite watermelon salads to keep in rotation all summer. 01 of 07 Watermelon-Cucumber Salad Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Margaret Monroe Dickey / Prop Styling by Julia Bayless Nutty aged goat cheese and crunchy sunflower kernels enhance the textures in this 20-minute summer salad from 2022 F&W Best New Chef Damarr Brown. Get the Recipe 02 of 07 Watermelon Salad with Feta and Mint Julia Hartbeck Jacques Pépin's watermelon salad combines sweet melon and cool mint with savory olives, onion, and feta cheese. A melon baller is the key to its presentation. Get the Recipe 03 of 07 Watermelon and Goat Cheese Salad Food & Wine / Photo by Brie Goldman / Food Styling by Holly Dreesman / Prop Styling by Gabriel Greco Defne Koryürek adds a nutty, peppery flavor to her 30-minute salad, sprinkling crunchy little nigella seeds over dramatic watermelon chunks and creamy fresh goat cheese. Get the Recipe 04 of 07 Thai-Style Radish and Watermelon Salad © Michael Turek Tom Colicchio adds texture, spice, and color to his salad with radishes, chiles, and an Asian fish sauce dressing. Get the Recipe 05 of 07 Watermelon Salad with Mint and Lime © John Kernick North Carolina chef Matt Neal incorporates fresh lime juice, cayenne pepper, and mint leaves in this simple salad — and recommends adding a splash of rum to make it even better. Get the Recipe 06 of 07 Watermelon and Tomato Salad with Spicy Feta Sauce © Maura McEvoy Simply arrange watermelon and grape tomatoes with chopped basil and olive oil for this version. Chef Ana Sortun chars jalapeño to blend with feta and olive oil for a flavor-packed dipping sauce. Get the Recipe 07 of 07 Watermelon Salad with Feta © Tina Rupp Melissa Clark combines sweet watermelon, salty olives, creamy feta crumbles and red onion slices for this dinner party-worthy salad, drizzling a dressing of olive oil, lemon juice, and harissa on top for even more flavor. Get the Recipe Was this page helpful? Thanks for your feedback! Tell us why! Other Submit