This summer has been all about the watermelon salad. Even those of you with a deep suspicion of fruit in savoury dishes will have relented at some point and been forced to try a spoonful of one at a foodie friend's BBQ.
And you probably liked it.
Which is handy, because the super Instagrammable fruit is showing up everywhere in London this summer – from the upcycled Mr Lyan cocktails at Cinammon Soho, which use watermelon rinds, to the new watermelon salads at the Real Greek (hello, halloumi) and the pickled watermelon rinds that come with the steaks at Billy & Jack's Southbank pop-up. And let's not forget the in-between-courses watermelon at Forza Win's pop-up panini store Ragazzi in Mayfair (rumour has it each watermelon comes from the same family-run farm in northern Italy and oh my goodness, you can totally tell).
But what if you want to make a watermelon salad at home? We've rounded up some of our favourite recipes for you to try out.
Watermelon Feta Orzo Salad with Lemon and Basil
This guy is interesting because of the added pasta. Initially that seemed weird, even though pasta salad is a favourite. But turns out, pasta and watermelon is delicious. Some commenters added blueberries and others added chilli peppers. Mainly, though, this is a better option for a whole meal as opposed to a side salad.
Find the full recipe at Cooking Classy
Photo: Courtesy of Cooking Classy
Greek Style Watermelon Salad
This Greek-type salad is much simpler than the others and looks really summery. It's definitely better as a snack or side salad, or a light lunch.
Find the full recipe at Food.com
Photo: Courtesy of Food.com
Moroccan Watermelon Cucumber Salad with Pistachio
This one looks really delicious, however, it has added pistachios which I’m not too sure about. In the reviews, though, people say that they weren’t too sure either but they tried them and it was super tasty. From the pictures it looks like there is a larger array of different flavours in this one, which is always good.
Get the full recipe at Feasting At Home
Photo: Courtesy of Feasting At Home
Watermelon Salad
The addition of blueberries here makes it seem more like a fruit salad than a savoury salad but it's still quite tasty, and a bit different from the others.
Get the full recipe at Art From My Table
Photo: Courtesy of Art From My Table
Cucumber Watermelon Salad
Though this one is simple, it looks incredible. The fact that there are no tomatoes means that the flavours will clash less. Also, the muted taste of the cucumber will allow the dressing to do its thing.
Get the full recipe at Flo&Grace
Photo: Courtesy of Flo&Grace
Spinach and Watermelon Salad
Bacon is definitely an odd decision in this salad. However, bacon does add a lot of flavour and salt to dishes so maybe it kind of makes sense?
Get the full recipe at What The Fork's For Dinner
Photo: Courtesy of What The Fork's For Dinner
Watermelon Salad
This recipe is literally just watermelon, feta cheese and peanuts. And delicious for it.
Get the full recipe at The Londoner
Photo: Courtesy of The LondonerLike what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
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