This delicious and simple Cucumber and Watermelon Salad with Sparkling Mint Dressing is just the dish you're looking for for your next spring event! Refreshing and vibrant, cucumbers and watermelon are a match made in heaven as the weather heats up!
Spring is here, and boy am I here for it! This year in particular (for obvious reasons) being outside, enjoying fresh food, feeling the warmth of the sun on my skin – and basically just all ‘springy’ themed things are ALL OVER my calendar. Spring themed snacks and meals are a must as well!
When Pure Flavor asked me to contribute to their spring menu with a recipe showcasing their Poco Bites® Cocktail Cucumbers I was so excited! Cucumbers are the perfect flavor for this time of year. They are incredibly versatile and can be used in a savory dish or a sweet dish!
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My first thought when combining spring and cucumbers was a Cucumber and Watermelon Salad! I love using cucumbers with watermelon at this time of year. The freshness of both flavors in combination with the crunch is just magical. For this salad I decided to go with a mint dressing, a sparkling mint dressing! It’s a beautiful concoction of champagne vinegar, some lime, and lots of fresh mint! Not to mention, this is one of the easiest recipes you’ll ever make! Check it out!
Ingredients:
Cucumber Watermelon Salad:
- 1 Medium Watermelon, cubed
- 1 lb Pure Flavor Poco Bites® Cocktail Cucumbers, sliced (You can find Pure Flavor Poco Bites® Cocktail Cucumbers at your local H-E-B!)
- ¼ Cup Feta Cheese, crumbled
- 2 tablespoon Fresh Mint, torn
- 2 tablespoon Fresh Basil, cut into ribbons
Sparkling Mint Dressing:
- ¾ Cup Champagne Vinegar
- ¼ Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Juice and Zest from 4 Small Limes (it ends up being about ½ cup of juice and 3 tablespoon of zest)
- ¼ Cup Water
- 3 tablespoon Agave
- ⅓ Cup Fresh Mint, minced
Tips for Making the Sparkling Mint Dressing:
- This dressing is incredibly easy to make, just toss all of the ingredients into a jar with a lid and give it a shake! The ‘sparkle’ comes from the champagne vinegar! It’s just a little bit effervescent, which is a wonderful surprise in this dish!
- If you want to get really creative, you can even sub the regular water for sparkling water! This is important! DON’T add the sparkling water before you shake the jar!
- If you’ll be subbing the water for sparkling water, prep the dressing as is – leave the water out, shake the jar to combine all of the ingredients, then right before you add the dressing to the salad add a splash of sparkling water and gently stir the dressing before pouring it over the salad.
- Dress the salad as you see fit. I like to pour about a third of the jar over the salad and then allow guests to add more if they’d like. With a fresh and crisp dish like this, you want the dressing to be a beautiful accessory not necessarily the star of the show.
Salad Assembly Instructions:
I love to build this salad directly on the plate, no tossing. This helps me control the ratio of cubed watermelon to sliced cucumber so there is the perfect amount of each for every bite! For a foodie who loves to play with her food and position things just perfectly for a photo-op, this was fun!
Sprinkle your fresh herbs and drizzle a third of the dressing prepared over the salad. (Reserve the remainder for guests to help themselves.)
I like to cut my basil into ribbons using a chiffonade technique. Gently roll two large basil leaves and chop them horizontally. You get these beautiful ribbons that will wrap snuggly around your cucumber slices.
For the mint, I love to keep the leaves somewhat large and just tear them into the salad.
Storage:
I like to prep this particular salad to be as fresh as possible. If I’m having a party this is one of the last dishes I make. It helps keep everything crisp.
If you’re making this at home and you know you’ll need to store some of it, prep the salad and the dressing and store them separately in the fridge. Give your sparkling dressing a shake and dress your salad each time you enjoy it. It should keep well in an airtight container for a couple of days.
If you try this recipe out, don’t forget to post a rating and comment!
I’d love to see your pictures on Instagram too! Tag @atoastedcrumb and @pureflavor!
This post is sponsored by Pure Flavor®. Learn more about Pure Flavor and their commitment to supporting healthier lifestyles by visiting their website.
Cucumber and Watermelon Salad
Ingredients
- 1 Medium Watermelon cubed
- 1 lb PureFlavor Poco Bites® Cocktail Cucumbers sliced You can find Pure Flavor Poco Bites®Cocktail Cucumbers at your local H-E-B!
- ¼ cup Feta Cheese crumbled
- 2 tablespoon Fresh Mint torn
- 2 tablespoon Fresh Basil cut into ribbons
Sparkling Mint Dressing
- ¾ cup Champagne Vinegar
- ¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Juice and Zest from 4 Small Limes it ends up being about ½ cup of juice and 3 tablespoon of zest
- ¼ cup Water*
- 3 tablespoon Agave
- ⅓ cup Fresh Mint minced
Instructions
- Add all of the dressing ingredients to a jar with a lid and shake.
- Grab a large serving plate and place the watermelon cubes in the center of the plate.
- Add your desired amount of cucumber slices all over the watermelon cubes. (I like about a 1:1 ratio for cucumbers to watermelon for this dish.)
- Add the crumbled feta cheese, basil ribbons, and torn mint on top of the salad.
- Gently pour a third of the jar of sparkling dressing over the salad and reserve the rest for guests who may want extra dressing.
- Enjoy immediately!
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