Say hello to the ultimate summer salad! This easy and refreshing watermelon rind salad features feta, arugula, mint, and more deliciousness. And you only need 10 minutes to make it!
Simply do some chopping, throw it all together, and drizzle it with olive oil and lime juice. Fresh mint and chopped pistachios add a final touch for even more flavor and texture!
And voila – a delicious lunch, ready to go.
This salad features both watermelon flesh (for juicy flavor) and watermelon rind (for crunch), so your watermelon will do double duty here. Win/win!
Thank you to my friends at The Watermelon Board for sponsoring this post.
Summery Feta Salad with Watermelon
Watermelon rind is a delicious addition to salads, and it fits perfectly with The Watermelon Board’s theme for this year: “Use the Whole Watermelon.” Gotta love a no-waste, environmentally-friendly recipe that’s also totally delicious!
In my opinion, the perfect salad has not only a mix of flavors (sweet/savory), but also a mix of textures and a lot of volume. This salad checks all those blocks with no problem.
I love the fresh summery vibes of this salad, too. It’s definitely summer potluck approved.
This salad features a refreshing mix of ingredients: watermelon for sweetness, watermelon rind for crunch (it’s a great replacement for cucumber, especially since you already have it on hand because you’re using watermelon flesh!), feta for saltiness, pistachios for buttery nuttiness, red onion and arugula for peppery punch and a little more volume, and mint for freshness.
As far as dressings go, the more tart/tangy, the better, in my opinion, and this one hits the mark. The simple dressing of lime, olive oil, salt, and pepper adds just the right amount of acidity and savoriness.
No need to even mix the dressing in a separate bowl, either! You just drizzle the ingredients over everything in the mixing bowl and toss. Easy as can be.
Recipe Ingredients
Here’s what you’ll need to make this summery watermelon salad:
- watermelon (both the flesh and the white rind, with the green outer skin removed)
- red onion
- feta cheese
- baby arugula (or other types of greens, like spring mix, if you prefer, but I love the peppery flavor of arugula here)
- pistachios (you can usually find these pre-shelled, roasted, and salted at most grocery stores)
- fresh mint
- lime
- olive oil
- salt & pepper
If you’re not a fan of feta cheese or want to use something else, goat cheese or fresh mozzarella would be great too. You can also replace the red onion with a shallot if you’d like, or leave it out altogether.
Extra watermelon rind? Freeze it to make this delicious watermelon rind smoothie!
What does watermelon rind taste like?
Watermelon rind is a lot like cucumber or jicama. It has a really mild, refreshing flavor, and a nice crunchy texture.
Aside from a very light watermelon taste, it basically just takes on whatever flavors are around it – in this case, the tart salad dressing and the other flavorful salad ingredients.
How to Make Watermelon Rind Salad
This simple, no-cook recipe will be on the table in no time!
Just slice up your watermelon, watermelon rind, and red onion. Place it into a large bowl along with crumbled feta and torn mint leaves.
Next, squeeze lime juice over the salad and drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, then use tongs to toss the salad so it’s evenly coated in the dressing.
On a plate or bowl, lay a bed of arugula. Spoon watermelon salad on top, then toss lightly to combine.
Sprinkle chopped pistachios and extra fresh mint on top, then serve!
This salad is super portable, so it’s perfect for summer BBQs, gatherings, or picnics. And it’ll help you cool down on a hot day. 🙂
If you’re bringing it out and about with you, just keep the arugula separate and combine right before serving – it’s the only ingredient that may get a little soggy if dressed too early.
How to Grate Watermelon Rind
For this recipe, you can either slice or grate your watermelon rind. I like it sliced because it has more of a crunchy, hearty vibe, but you do you!
To slice watermelon rind, first cut away the pink/red “flesh” of the watermelon and the green outer shell (it is sometimes easier to use a peeler to remove the outer green portion vs. a knife).
The remaining portion should be the light pink/white rind. Thinly slice these pieces with a sharp knife into bite-sized strips.
Grating watermelon rind is similar to the way you’d grate a cucumber or carrot.
Once you’ve separated the outside green part of the watermelon and the watermelon flesh, use a flat or box grater to grate the remaining rind into thin shreds.
I can already tell this is going to be my go-to salad this summer. It’s so tasty and so easy – not to mention super bright and refreshing. You can’t beat that!
You’ll find the full watermelon rind salad recipe at the end of this post. I hope you love it, too!
More Tasty Recipes with Watermelon Rind
- Fermented Watermelon Rind Pickles
- Vegan Tofu Curry with Watermelon Rind
- Watermelon Rind Coleslaw
- Pickled Watermelon Rind (Two Ways)
- Chicken Gyros with Watermelon Rind Tzatziki
- Watermelon Rind Gazpacho
Watermelon Rind Salad with Feta
Say hello to the ultimate summer salad! This easy and refreshing watermelon rind salad features feta, arugula, mint, and more deliciousness - and you only need 10 minutes to make it!
Ingredients:
- 4 cups cubed watermelon
- 2 cups thinly sliced watermelon rind (outer green skin removed)
- 1/2 a medium red onion, thinly sliced
- 4 oz feta cheese, crumbled or cubed (about 1 cup)
- 2 sprigs mint, leaves roughly chopped or torn
- juice from 1 lime (about 3 tablespoons)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 4 cups baby arugula
- 1/4 cup roasted, salted pistachios (shelled)
Instructions:
- Place watermelon, watermelon rind, red onion, feta, and mint leaves in a large mixing bowl.
- Squeeze the lime juice over the top of the salad. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle evenly with salt and pepper. Toss with tongs to mix and coat the salad in the dressing.
- Lay a bed of baby arugula on a large platter or bowl. Add the watermelon salad over the top and toss very lightly. Top with pistachios and additional mint, if desired.
