Hot days call for hot food, and this spicy watermelon tomato salad is the perfect grilling side! A punchy ginger dressing ties it all together.
I hope you have lots of tomatoes. Why? Because I have a really great watermelon tomato salad for you! This one is completely different from Tuesday’s tomato salad – it’s really quick and full of spicy/sweet/savory/tangy flavor. You may recognize the gingery tamari-lime dressing from the cookbook and also from these rice bowls. It’s so perfect here because the contrasting flavors really make the sweetness of the watermelon pop. This is the salad that I’ll be eating until summer is over because it’s just so delicious and refreshing.
Watermelon Tomato Salad Ingredients
And speaking of pop – this one is a little spicy because, in my opinion, hot days call for hot food. I use jalapeño to spice this salad up, but you can add more or less jalapeño depending on your spice preference. I recommend not skimping too much because the cool watermelon and the creamy avocado help chill down the spice. Somewhat 🙂
I finish the avocado, jalapeño, juicy watermelon & tomato combination with plenty of fresh basil and cashews for crunch. The tangy dressing mingles with the watermelon and tomato juices and really ties it all together.
Watermelon Tomato Salad Serving Suggestions
I love to serve this salad as a side dish with whatever I’m grilling, whether that be veggie burgers, black bean burgers, or corn on the cob. It would also be delicious with these stuffed peppers, stuffed poblanos, or jackfruit sandwiches!
Watermelon Tomato Salad
- 1 tablespoon tamari
- 2 teaspoons fresh lime juice
- 2 teaspoons rice vinegar
- 1 small garlic clove, minced
- ½ teaspoon minced ginger
- 3 heirloom tomatoes, sliced into wedges
- 5 cups cut watermelon (about 2-inch triangles)
- 1 thinly sliced jalapeño and/or a few Thai chiles
- 2 tablespoons Thai basil or regular basil
- 2 tablespoons toasted cashews
- ½ avocado, diced
- Sea salt, to taste, if desired
- Lime wedges, for serving
- Make the dressing: In a small bowl, combine the tamari, lime juice, vinegar, garlic, and ginger.
- Arrange the tomatoes, watermelon, and jalapeños on a platter or in a shallow bowl. (This salad should not be served in a deep bowl because the flavorful juices will sink to the bottom.) Drizzle with the dressing and top with the basil, cashews, and avocado. Season to taste and serve with lime wedges.
Outstanding!
I didn’t have tamari or soy sauce so I used
Hosin, and Serranos. I doubled the sauce.
A big hit it!
I am absolutely obsessed with your recipies. I can spend hours (making grocery list as I go) feeling like a kid looking at the Christmas catalog making a wish list lol.
Thank you, thank you… my diet has improved tremendously and it feels great!
I’m so glad you’ve been enjoying them!
Just made this and combined all ingredients with arugula, so delicious and nutritious❤️
Hello,
On the sweet corn gazpacho, do you use cooked or raw corn??
Love your recipes?
raw corn!
I made this for dinner tonight for my family (husband and boys ages 4, 2.5, and 1) – everyone loved it! There flavors are addicting. My 4 year old especially loved it. Because of the little ones we omitted the jalapeños altogether so I’d love to make it again, with them, for an adult crowd.
Also, Jeanine, I just wanted to say – I’ve been making your recipes for several years now and I really just recognized tonight how much joy I have when I begin plating your recipes. With all of the fresh, colorful ingredients your meals really become a work of art and it’s so satisfying. Keep up the excellent work!
Hi Heather, aww, you’re so sweet, I’m so glad you and your family have been enjoying the recipes! Thank you so much for taking a minute to come let me know!
This recipe seems to be so unique and mouth-watering. I always keep hunting for healthy yet tasty recipes, thanks for sharing interesting flavors of recipes. Definitely going to try this.
What a pretty plate! Yum!
Tried this last night! Incredible! Used regular tomatoes from my garden and no avocado because they were $2.49 each!! Will be making this for company. Thank you for such a lovely dish.
I’m so glad you loved it!
Ok but what a genius idea! Anyway you can add watermelon to anything is a win in my book. And those photos, like wow. I’m in love. Thanks for the inspo.
a wonderful salad complement to the watermelon margarita, even though I don’t think I’ve ever paired the two, love the dressing too
I’m intrigued to try tomatoes and watermelon together!! I’ve never thought of that.
Tried this last night! Incredible! Used regular tomatoes from my garden and no avocado because they were $2.49 each!! Will be making this for company. Thank you for such a lovely dish.
Awww…this is exactly what I’m craving right now. I have tons of heirlooms from the farmers market waiting for this!
This sounds like a summer BBQ must-have!
I swear I’m not a serial commenter but damn, girl your recipes are amAZZZzzzing! My husband works at a local private school that has a very large garden and he’s been bringing home heirloom tomatoes by the bucketload. Pairing them with watermelon and jalapeño (!!!) and combining it with that salty/sweet/sour dressing is brilliant. Excellent, easy, healthy and very colorful dish. And now I maybe using raw jalapeños in my salads a little more often–there is something about that lingering spice that takes it to the next level.
Ha ha, you can become a serial commenter, I would love that :). I’m so glad you loved this one!!