Spicy Watermelon Salad #recipe from Molly MacRae

 

Summertime = watermelon time! This salad is light, bright, and zesty with lime, jalapeño, a bit of red onion, cilantro, and fresh mint. Tajín, a chili lime seasoning we were able to find in the grocery store, is a great addition to the salad. I think a couple of mangos would be, too, and plan to add those next time. I made za'tar feta scones to go with the salad and will post the recipe for those sometime this summer.  

Spicy Watermelon Salad

Adapted from Alexa Weible in the The New York Times

Ingredients

3 tablespoons vegetable oil (or olive oil if you haven’t unexpectedly run out)

2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Zest of 1 lime, plus juice

1 tablespoon honey

1 jalapeño, thinly sliced (I used half a large jalapeño)

Kosher salt and black pepper

1/4 cup finely chopped red onion

1 1/4 pounds fresh watermelon (seedless is a great option)

1 1/4 pounds fresh pineapple

4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled (about 2/3 cup)

1 packed cup cilantro, chopped

1/3 packed cup torn fresh mint

Tajín, for sprinkling (optional but so good!)

 

Directions

In a large bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, lime zest and juice, honey, and jalapeño. Season generously with salt and pepper. Add the onion and toss to coat. Let marinate while you prepare  the fruit.

Cut the watermelon (discarding seeds) and pineapple into 1-inch cubes. Add fruit to the vinaigrette and toss to coat. Season to taste with more salt and pepper. Refrigerate until you’re ready to serve.

Just before serving, add feta and herbs to the salad and toss to coat. Sprinkle with Tajín if using.

🍉🍍🍉

Are you ready for summer reading? Visit Ocracoke Island, off the coast of North Carolina, in the Haunted Shell Shop Mysteries. 

Or travel to the Scottish Highlands in the Highland Bookshop Mysteries. 

Spend time in northeast Tennessee in the Haunted Yarn Shop Mysteries, two stand-alone mysteries, and a collection of short stories. 

Or travel from Cape Cod on the east coast to Monterey on the west coast, with a stop in Ohio along the way in my very gentle mysteries written as Margaret Welch.

 

Happy reading! 

The Boston Globe says Molly MacRae writes “murder with a dose of drollery.” She’s the author of the award-winning, national bestselling Haunted Yarn Shop Mysteries and the Highland Bookshop Mysteries. As Margaret Welch, she writes books for Annie’s Fiction. Her short stories have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine and she’s a winner of the Sherwood Anderson Award for Short Fiction. Visit Molly on Facebook and Pinterest and connect with her on Instagram or Bluesky.