Recipes

Watermelon Salad Recipe

watermelon salad with feta, arugula, pickled onions and balsamic reductionThis month, I was fortunate enough to be at the Disney Social Media Moms Conference at the very same time as the hugely popular Epcot Flower and Garden Festival. With so much to do and only so much time, it was a constant battle to shift time away from the attractions in the parks to more leisurely activities like – you know – walking around the world and tasting everything in it!

Fortunately, we had a few opportunities to do so and there are a few stand-out tastes that I can’t stop thinking about.  One of them – Watermelon Salad from Florida Fresh! The $3.50 serving was reasonably priced, but I could have abandoned my family and sat at a picnic table to eat about 5 more servings. And so, I decided that when I got home I was going to make it. And now? This will be my go-to salad this summer when we have guests. I have no doubt that it’s bound to impress even more than my family’s caesar salad recipe, and that’s saying a lot.

The salad is super-easy to make, with just a few key ingredients. Take the additional step of making your own pickled red onions the night before and you will be a watermelon salad superstar at the next BBQ, I promise!

I shared two ways you could serve it in the photos below, either of which will wow your guests. Me, I’d prefer a giant bowl, a spoon, and a napkin for the balsamic reduction that I’ll probably drip on my shirt. (Balsamic reduction is like balsamic vinegar, which you can use as well, but thicker like a drizzle. If you only have vinegar, you can certainly use that too. But once you buy balsamic reduction you can be all, “Oh, I use this ALL the time, because I’m fancy like that.”)

4.6 from 10 reviews
Watermelon Salad Recipe
 
Since you can make this salad in single serving dishes or as a large bowl, there are no suggested measurements, just an outline of what you'll need!
Ingredients
  • Cubed watermelon
  • Crumbled feta cheese
  • Baby or tender arugula
  • Pickled Red Onions (see recipe below)
  • Balsamic reduction
Instructions
  1. Arrange the arugula in your bowl or serving platter.
  2. Top with cubed watermelon, then feta, then pickled red onions
  3. Drizzle with balsamic reduction and serve

watermelon salad with arugula, feta, pickled onions and balsamic reduction
4.6 from 10 reviews
Pickled Red Onions
 
Today's recipe calls for Pickled Red Onions, but if you make a batch now, save them for topping other salads, sandwiches, burgers, tacos, nachos and more.
Ingredients
  • 1 medium red onion, thinly sliced (you can either slice them as a big round circle or in strips)
  • ½ cup apple cider vinegar OR white wine vinegar (NOT white vinegar)
  • 1 cup warm water
  • 1 teaspoon sugar
  • 1 teaspoon pickling or Kosher salt (I use sea salt if that's all I have on hand)
Instructions
  1. Place onion in a mason jar or glass bowl.
  2. Combine the vinegar, water, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl or large measuring cup and mix together until the sugar and salt is dissolved.
  3. Pour liquid over onions, cover and refrigerate. You're done!
  4. Refrigerate 24 hours for best flavor though you can keep the onions for weeks in your fridge and the flavor keeps getting better!

watermelon salad with feta

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