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Home › Recipes › Cookouts
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Spicy Strawberry Watermelon Salad

Stacey Pirtle

by Stacey Updated: Jul 8, 2023

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This light summer watermelon salad is a refreshing combo crunchy, sweet and spicy! Bursting with ripe summer produce, Spicy Strawberry Watermelon Salad is cool side dish made for hot days, cookouts, BBQs and fish frys.

refreshing summer watermelon salad with cucumbers, feta, strawberries & jalapenos

Light and refreshing, this easy watermelon salad loaded with sweet, summer flavor! Juicy watermelon, ripe strawberries, and crunchy cucumbers are perfectly balanced with the tanginess of lightly pickled red onions, fresh basil and a little jalapeno heat.

RELATED RECIPE: Berry Watermelon Fruit Salad

All tossed in a simple garlic honey vinaigrette that also serves as the pickling marinade for the onion and jalapenos, this peak of summer fruit salad literally dances on the taste buds when served with any of your grilling favorites, Shrimp Salad Sandwiches or simply as a light lunch!

toss the watermelon, strawberries and cucumbers together.  Drizzle with a  garlic honey vinaigrette that also marinates the red onion and jalapenos for a bit of tangy heat.

Spicy Watermelon Salad Ingredients

  • small seedless watermelon
  • strawberries
  • cucumber (English)
  • red onion
  • jalapeno pepper
  • basil
  • feta cheese
  • olive oil
  • white vinegar
  • honey
  • minced garlic
  • salt & cracked black pepper
pickle the pepper and onion in a simple vinegar & honey dressing while the rest of the salad is chopped and prepped. Finish with feta, the favorite watermelon salad topping.

How to Make Spicy Strawberry Watermelon Salad with Cucumber

  • Make the pickling marinade/ dressing by whisking together the olive oil, vinegar, honey, salt, pepper and garlic. Add the sliced onion and jalapeno pepper. Set them aside to marinate/pickle while the rest of the salad is prepped.
  • In a large bowl, add cubed watermelon, quartered strawberries, sliced cucumbers and basil. Pour dressing/marinade with sliced jalapeno and onion over salad and toss. Top with feta and extra cracked black pepper.
Serve watermelon salad with chicken, burgers, anything from the grill.

What to Serve with Watermelon Salad

  • Mexican Street Corn Foil Packets
  • Crock Pot BBQ Beef Pot Roast
  • Homemade Cornmeal Fish Fry Mix
  • Easy Southern Salmon Patties
  • Crispy Southern Fried Chicken

Make Ahead Of Time & Storing Instructions

This salad is best eaten the day it is prepared; however, the leftovers can be stored for up to one day, covered tightly in the refrigerator.

To make it ahead of time, simply prep the watermelon, strawberries and cucumber. Store separately in the refrigerator. Make the dressing/pickling marinade, slice the onion and pepper and add to the marinade. Cover and refrigerate overnight. Assemble salad the salad the next day.

This summer watermelon salad side dish is best eaten the day of, but can still be good the next day too.

Add Ins & Substitutions

A couple of tablespoons of thinly sliced fresh mint really amps up the cool, freshness of this salad. Don’t like feta cheese? Try creamy goat cheese or small mozzarella pearls instead.

Other Watermelon Recipes You’ll Love

  • Melon Salad with Rotisserie Chicken & Garlic Vinaigrette
  • Fun Watermelon Toppings Bar
  • Summery Watermelon Bruschetta
  • Watermelon Sparklers
  • Berry Watermelon Fruit Salad
If You Love Tasty Summer Salads & Have Made This Recipe, Give It All The Stars & Leave A Fun Comment! Or Tag Me @SouthernDiscourse On Social Media To Be Featured. I Love Hearing From You!
refreshing summer watermelon salad with cucumbers, feta, strawberries & jalapenos

Spicy Strawberry Watermelon Salad

This light summer watermelon salad is a refreshing combo crunchy, sweet and spicy! Bursting with ripe summer produce, Spicy Strawberry Watermelon Salad is cool side dish made for hot days, cookouts, BBQs and fish frys.
Print Pin Rate
Course: Salad
Cuisine: American
Keyword: BBQ, cookout, picnic, tailgate
Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes
Servings: 5 people
Author: Stacey | SouthernDiscourse.com

Ingredients

  • ¼ cup olive oil
  • 3 tablespoons white vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons honey
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon cracked black pepper
  • ¼ teaspoon minced garlic
  • ½ medium red onion, thinly sliced
  • ½-1 large jalapeno pepper, thinly sliced
  • 4 cups cubed seedless watermelon
  • 2 cups quartered strawberries
  • 1 cup sliced & halved English cucumber
  • ¼ cup fresh basil, thinly sliced
  • 2 ounces crumbled feta

Instructions

  • In a large measuring cup, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, honey, salt, pepper and garlic. Add sliced onion and jalapeno pepper. Stir to coat and set aside to marinate/pickle while the rest of the salad is prepped.
  • In a large bowl, add cubed watermelon, quartered strawberries, sliced cucumbers and basil. Pour dressing/marinade with sliced jalapeno and onion over salad. Toss. Top with feta and extra cracked black pepper.
refreshing summer watermelon salad with cucumbers, feta, strawberries & jalapenos
Did you make my Spicy Strawberry Watermelon Salad?Show me how it went! Share on Instagram, tag @southerndiscourse, and use the hashtag #SouthernDiscourse!
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Filed Under: Cookouts, Salads Tagged With: cookout, potluck

Meet Stacey

Southern Discourse is a place where you can find southern family dishes, along with special recipes & table settings. Bringing connection & friendship back to the table by wrapping everything in the faith & grace from which true hospitality springs! Read More

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Meet Stacey

Southern Discourse is a place where you can find southern family dishes, along with special recipes & table settings. Bringing connection & friendship back to the table by wrapping everything in the faith & grace from which true hospitality springs! Read More

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