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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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Watermelon Salad with Mint and Lime
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.
Watermelon and Tomato Salad with Spicy Feta Sauce
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.
Watermelon Salad with Feta
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.