• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Home
  • About
    • Press
    • Privacy Policy
    • Photo Use Policy
    • Media
    • Podcast
    • Videos
  • Pro Tips
    • Resources
    • Blogging
      • How to Start a Blog
    • My Presets
  • Recipes
    • Recipes by Season
      • Christmas Recipes
      • Fall
      • Easter
      • Summer
    • Meals
      • Breakfast
      • Side dish
      • Appetizers
      • Dinner
      • Dessert
    • Special Diets
      • Dairy Free
      • Gluten Free
      • Healthy recipes
      • Keto
      • Paleo
      • Sugar free
      • Mediterranean Diet
      • Vegan
      • Vegetarian
      • Whole30
    • Ingredients
      • Beef
      • Chicken
      • Pork
      • Seafood
    • Popular
      • American Recipes
      • Baking
      • Bread
      • Cookies
      • Sourdough
      • Slow cooker
      • Soup
    • Recipe Stories
  • Italy
    • Italian Baking
    • Italian Recipes
    • Italian Travel
    • Italian Language
  • Pasta Recipes
  • Subscribe
  • Shop
    • Freebies
      • Lightroom Filter Freebie
      • Packing List Freebie
      • Content Scheduler Freebie

Savoring Italy logo

menu icon
go to homepage
  • Recipes
  • Italy
  • Resources
  • About
  • Subscribe
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • subscribe
    search icon
    Homepage link
    • Recipes
    • Italy
    • Resources
    • About
    • Subscribe
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • TikTok
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home » Recipes

    July 18, 2019 Recipes

    Asian Watermelon Salad

    Jump to Recipe - Print Recipe

    A summer salad that is full of sweet watermelon, fresh mint, cilantro and basil. Asian Watermelon Salad is tossed in an easy lime dressing with a little spice from the jalapeño pepper. It is so easy to put together and will make any summer dinner party exciting!

    July is here and it's passing by in a flash! Which means summer is halfway over (yes, I'm sobbing silently). Which means what better time than now to share a fabulous Asian watermelon salad!

    I've recently been looking for more fresh and easy summer recipes. I am used to eating watermelon in all of its sweet and glorious natural sweetness. After just coming back from Italy and enjoying watermelon at the end of every meal, I wasn't sure if I could explore using it in a recipe.

    #FreshSummer 2019 project:

    My friend Aggie from Aggie's Kitchen and I have come up with a theme for each month of our #FreshSummer project.  For the month of June we chose to share something we each made with cucumbers! Be sure to check out Aggie’s delightful Cucumber Avocado Salad  and my Sweet Summer Corn and Cucumber Salad. July's theme is watermelon. Hop on over to Aggie's blog to see delicious Watermelon Feta Salad with Basil. You should join Aggie and I all summer long. If you make a watermelon recipe, tag us on Instagram with #FreshSummer.

    Follow us @savoringitaly and Aggie @aggieskitchen to see our stories and catch everything delicious!

    We’ll be back in August with something else that’s super fresh for your summer kitchen!

    HOW DO YOU MAKE WATERMELON SALAD?

    For this recipe, you’ll need cubed watermelon, shallots, garlic, basil, cilantro and fresh mint leaves. A simple lime dressing goes over the top of the salad and it is all tossed together for a bright and fresh summer dish. The sweet watermelon with crispy shallots make it un unusual sweet and savory combination that is truly addictive! You'll want to enjoy this salad all summer long!

    I like to cut my watermelon into chunks because as it's faster and a little easier. If you happen to own a melon baller, be sure to use it as it makes it a little prettier for presentation. The fresh mint, basil and cilantro all gets added at the very end so the mint doesn't turn brown. I like the herbs to be super fresh when I'm making a salad like this.

    I was once part of a group called blogger C.L.U.E. and the blog I was given to search through was Kate from Kate's Kitchen. It was fun perusing through Kate's blog with our theme Beat the Heat. I was inspired by her Thai watermelon salad.

    The Thai watermelon salad was a Jamie Oliver recipe and I ended up adapting it with a recipe I found in a Food Network magazine from summer 2014. The recipes were pretty similar!!

    updated from Aug 2015

    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate this Recipe
    5 from 6 votes

    Asian Watermelon Salad

    A summer salad that is full of sweet watermelon, fresh mint, cilantro and basil. Asian Watermelon Salad is tossed in an easy lime dressing with a little spice from the jalapeño pepper. It is so easy to put together and will make any summer dinner party exciting!
    Prep Time10 minutes mins
    Cook Time10 minutes mins
    Course: Dinner
    Cuisine: Asian
    Keyword: Salad, summer, vegan, watermelon
    Servings: 6
    Calories: 4kcal
    Author: Lora

    Ingredients

    • ⅓ cup peanut or vegetable oil
    • 2 small shallots 1 thinly sliced, 1 finely chopped
    • Kosher salt
    • Juice of 3 limes
    • 2 teaspoons fish sauce
    • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
    • 1 clove garlic minced
    • 1 2 - inch piece ginger peeled and minced
    • 1 red jalapeno pepper thinly sliced
    • 4 cups chopped seedless watermelon
    • ⅓ cup chopped fresh cilantro
    • ⅓ cup chopped fresh basil
    • ⅓ cup chopped fresh mint
    • 1 Tablespoons cocktail peanuts roughly chopped

    Instructions

    • Heat the peanut oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat until a deep-fry thermometer registers 350 degrees F.
    • Add the sliced shallot and cook (make sure you reserve the other portion for your dressing), stirring often, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Remove with a slotted spoon and drain on paper towels; season with salt.
    • Whisk 2 tablespoons of the frying oil, the chopped shallot, lime juice, fish sauce, soy sauce, garlic, ginger and jalapeno in a large bowl.
    • Add the watermelon and toss to combine.
    • Let sit 10 minutes.
    • Add the cilantro, basil, mint and 2 tablespoons peanuts to the salad and season with salt; toss to combine. Top salad with chopped peanuts and fried shallot.

    Nutrition Disclaimer

    Please keep in mind that the nutritional information presented below is an approximation and may vary depending on the exact ingredients used.

    Notes

    All images and text  ©Savoring Italy.  Please do not use my images without prior permission. If using my posts in collections and features, please link back to this post for the recipe.
     

                                    DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?

                         Tag @savoringitaly on Instagram and hashtag it #savoringitaly

    Nutrition

    Calories: 4kcal | Carbohydrates: 1g | Protein: 0.5g | Fat: 0.01g | Saturated Fat: 0.002g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 325mg | Potassium: 22mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 0.3g | Vitamin A: 22IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 3mg | Iron: 0.1mg
    Tried this recipe?Mention @savoringitaly or tag #savoringitaly!
    « Easy Homemade Hummus
    Tabbouleh-Mom's Easy Tabbouleh Recipe »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Aggie says

      July 18, 2019 at 12:10 pm

      5 stars
      This looks so refreshing!! The sauce/dressing is making my mouth water - what a perfect sweet and salty combination. Love this for summer!

      Reply
    2. Demeter says

      July 18, 2019 at 4:17 pm

      5 stars
      Love this twist on a summer classic! Such a great way to really kick up the flavor.

      Reply
    3. Taylor says

      July 19, 2019 at 9:16 am

      This is so creative and yummy! Love the Asian flavors paired with the fresh watermelon and herbs.

      Reply
    4. Sara Welch says

      July 19, 2019 at 10:34 am

      5 stars
      What a unique salad recipe! The combination of flavors sounds amazing!

      Reply
    5. Catalina says

      July 20, 2019 at 3:04 am

      5 stars
      Interesting flavor combo! I am so curious to try this salad!

      Reply
    6. Melanie Bauer says

      July 20, 2019 at 5:12 am

      5 stars
      Sounds really amazing! Love those combinations of flavors, definitely making this!

      Reply
    7. Erin | Dinners,Dishes and Dessert says

      July 21, 2019 at 8:33 pm

      5 stars
      This looks absolutely delicious! Yummy! I gotta make this! Looks great!

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    lora and gabby

    Welcome to our Italian kitchen! We are Lora and Gabriella, the mother-daughter team behind Savoring Italy. With more than 30+ years of experience in the kitchen, Lora has had a great advantage – receiving guidance from both her husband who is an executive chef/restaurant owner and her mother who is a renowned private chef. 

    More about me →

    Popular

    • pasta rapini closeup image
      Easy Pasta with Rapini Recipe
    • pasta alla gricia closeup
      Easy Pasta alla Gricia Recipe
    • Easy Torta Sbriciolata (Italian Apple Crumble Cake)
    • peperonata in a white bowl
      Traditional Peperonata Recipe (Sauteed Peppers and Onions)

    Pasta

    • penna arrabiata overhead shot
      Easy Penne all' Arrabbiata (Spicy Tomato Sauce Recipe)
    • spaghetti algio e olio
      Easy Garlic and Oil Pasta (Spaghetti Aglio e Olio)
    • pasta amatriciana
      Easy Pasta Amatriciana (Roman Recipe)
    • cacio e pepe overhead with red wine on the side.
      Authentic & Easy Cacio e Pepe (4 ingredients)

    Lake Como Travel Guide

    lake como

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Photo Use Policy
    • Podcast
    • Press
    • Videos

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2023 Savoring Italy