The Only Watermelon Peach Salad Recipe You Need
My friend Elizabeth of Pine Cones and Acorns and I have started something new this summer: a seasonal table series where we each take the same ingredient and run with it. No rules, no comparing notes ahead of time just two pals who cook a lot showing you two different ways to get to the same table. This month let’s talk watermelon salads, specifically the only watermelon peach salad recipe you need!
I went sweet-savory with a watermelon peach salad with feta, herbs and pistachios. If you’ve ever searched for an easy summer salad recipe that doesn’t involve turning on the oven, this is it. This is the kind of thing I make when it’s 95 degrees + (today is was 110), I have exactly one working brain cell for cooking, and I still want the table to look like I tried. Hop over to Elizabeth’s for her take on the same fruit, then come back and tell me which one you made first.
The Only Watermelon Peach Salad Recipe You Need
Why This Watermelon Peach Salad Works
Watermelon and peach are both at their most obnoxiously perfect right now, and this salad doesn’t ask them to do anything but show up ripe. Feta brings the salt, pistachios bring the crunch, the herbs a bit of zip, and a scrappy little mint-lime dressing ties it together without turning it into a production. It’s the salad I bring to a dinner party when I want people to think I planned ahead. I did not plan ahead. I bought good fruit.
This is what I’d call a “collected” recipe, not fussy, not trendy, just the kind of thing that earns a permanent spot in your summer rotation once you’ve made it twice.
Watermelon Peach Salad with Feta, Herbs and Pistachios
Ingredients
- 5 cups seedless watermelon cut into 1-inch cubes
- 3 ripe peaches sliced into thin wedges (not peeled)
- 4 oz feta crumbled by hand (block feta, not the pre-crumbled kind — it matters)
- 1/2 cup shelled pistachios roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
- 4 T cup fresh mint leaves chopped torn
- 4 T fresh basil chiffonade
- 2 T extra virgin olive oil ( a citrus olive oil is especially good)
- 1 T fresh lime juice
- 1 t honey to taste
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
Arrange the watermelon and peach slices on a large, shallow platter.This salad wants to be seen, not stacked.Scatter the red onion over the fruit, then the crumbled feta.Whisk the olive oil, lime juice, and honey together in a small bowl until it emulsifies. Drizzle over the salad.Top with the pistachios and herbs Finish with a pinch of flaky salt and a few turns of black pepper.Serve immediately, or hold at room temperature for up to 30 minutes — after that, the watermelon starts to weep and nobody wants that.
Cindy’s notes:
- If your peaches are underripe, give them a few minutes in a warm paper bag before you start. Don’t try to force this salad with hard fruit.
- Swap the pistachios for toasted almonds if that’s what’s in your pantry — but the pistachios are the right call if you have them. Green against pink and orange is the whole visual point.
- A short splash of good balsamic instead of the lime-honey dressing turns this into a slightly more autumnal version, if you want to file that away for September.
How to Serve a Watermelon Peach Salad
This is a platter salad, not a bowl salad. It just looks prettier. . As far as summer fruit salads go, this one earns its keep because it works as a side dish or the whole show. It’s the salad equivalent of not trying too hard and having it work out anyway, which, if you’ve read this blog for more than five minutes, you know is basically my whole personal philosophy this decade.
Serve it alongside grilled pork, black beans, and Mexican street corn like we did with friends last week.
Watermelon Peach Salad: Your Questions Answered
Can you make watermelon peach salad ahead of time
You can prep the fruit and dressing separately a few hours ahead, but don’t combine them until close to serving. Watermelon releases water fast once it’s dressed and salted — do it too early and you’ll end up with a puddle instead of a platter.
What cheese goes best with watermelon salad?
Feta is the classic pairing because the salt cuts the sweetness, but a fresh, mild goat cheese works too if you want something creamier. Skip anything aged or sharp it fights the fruit.
How do you keep watermelon salad from getting watery?
Salt and dress it right before serving, not before. If you’re not serving immediately, keep the watermelon and peaches chilled and undressed, and hold the feta and dressing on the side until you’re ready to plate.
Can I use a different fruit if peaches aren’t in season?
Nectarines are a straight swap. Ripe apricots work in a pinch, though you’ll want to cut them smaller since they’re less juicy.
Set a Pretty Alfresco Table
More Summer Salad Inspiration
And if you’re building out your summer table beyond this recipe you might enjoy:
10 Easy Fresh From the Garden Salads
An Easy Tasty Summer Menu When it is too Hot to Cook
Now let’s pop over and visit Elizabeth for her take on the Watermelon Salas. We hope this will become a running converstion between two kitchens each season.
Cindy, your watermelon peach salad looks delicious. I love the idea of a spring of pistachios! And so beautiful with the addition of the flower garnish!
Looking forward to more seasonal recipes this year! Thanks for joining me.