Omg. It’s the salad of summer. Watermelon Cucumber Salad with Wonderful Pistachios is about to be your new favorite refreshing side dish ever!
My birthday month is going strong and there’s no end in sight. We’ve got some BBQ’s coming up to celebrate and there will be ribeyes, cake and plenty of summer eats. Front and center this coming weekend is this Watermelon Cucumber Salad with Wonderful Pistachios. It’s everything you’ve ever wanted in life and more. Never tried adding Wonderful Pistachios to your salad - LET’S REMEDY THAT IMMEDIATELY! Pistachios really take any dish from basic to gourmet in minutes. They add an extra crunch to this salad, lend a pop of green, and round out all the flavors to make this recipe one for the record books!
Let’s get into this one! First we need to lightly marinate the watermelon. I know what you’re thinking… marinate watermelon… whaaaaat? I know. Trust me though, have I ever steered you wrong? Watermelon doesn’t need much, but adding the shallots and mint and a touch of oil REALLY brings out the flavors and give it so much more depth. I mean, don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong about chowing down on a plain piece of summer’s best fruit, but the marinading of this really ups the ante!
Once the watermelon has had a minute to do its thing, that’s when the magic happens.
Feta, cukes, red onions and Wonderful Pistachios No Shells. These additions are a dream. You’ve got a little salty bite from the feta, some brightness from the cukes, a little zip from the onions and a crunch and richness from the pistachios. Wonderful Pistachios are the name of the game always when it comes to this recipe or just snacking in general. Their new No Shells (which have the same rich taste and crunchy texture as pistachios in the shell) cut your prep time by a LOT! And also makes for even easier snacking - I’m looking at you husband!! For those of you who don’t live under our roof, aka everyone except me and Thomas, you now know that Thomas goes through handfuls of these Wonderful Pistachios on a weekly basis. And not having to find random shells across the kitchen floor is probably the most incredible gift I could get!
So let’s all go make a shopping list and put this on the to-do list over the weekend. Wonderful Pistachios No Shells are now available in Roasted & Salted and Lightly Salted so feel free to use whichever you want for this recipe! Both will be delicious!
Watermelon Cucumber Salad
Ingredients
- 1 small seedless watermelon cut into 1 inch cubes or melon balls
- 1 shallot finely chopped
- 4 tablespoons torn mint plus extra for garnish
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste
- 1 sheet feta cheese cut into ½ inch cubes
- 3 Persian cucumbers sliced into ½ inch thick rounds
- ¼ red onion thinly sliced
- ¼ cup Wonderful Pistachios No Shells toasted  ?
For the Vinaigrette
- 4 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 3 cloves garlic chopped
- 1 shallot finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste?
Instructions
- Combine the watermelon, shallots, and mint in a large bowl with the olive oil. Season the mixture with salt and pepper and toss to combine. Transfer to a fridge and let marinate for at least 1 hour, up to 3 hours.
- Remove from the fridge and add the cubed feta, cucumbers, red onion and pistachios. Toss to combine. Transfer to a serving platter, drizzle with the vinaigrette and serve with extra pistachios and more mint on top.
For the Vinaigrette
- In a small bowl whisk together the vinaigrette ingredients and season to taste. Â
Notes
Nutrition Information
Photo by Matt Armendariz / Food Styling by Adam Pearson / Recipe by What’s Gaby Cooking
What is a sheet of feta????
the kinda of feta that comes in brine! rather than the pre-crumbled stuff!
SO yummy!
Hi Gaby! Thanks for another great recipe! Wondering if you drain the marinated melon before adding the rest of the ingredients and the vinaigrette? Thanks!
Nope! I do not! 🙂
My family liked this so much the first time, that I wanted to make it again tonight. But, because we were having Mexican food, I made a few substitutions: toasted pepitas for the pistachios, queso fresco for the feta, cilantro for the mint, and I used Mexican oregano. I also added some finely minced fresh jalapeño. Rave reviews for this version, too. Thanks again for a great recipe, Gaby!
How many cups of watermelon would a small watermelon yield? I only have a regular-sized one and I want to make sure I use the appropriate amount with the marinade. Thanks!
I'd say about 4 cups
I Gotta try this for the 4th of july Can you please send me this recipe,Thank You
Made this tonight! Soooo good! Forwarding the recipe to friends and family.
Made this tonight, big hit with the family! Thank you!
I made the salad today and thought it was so big but there was 3 of us for dinner and the salad was almost all gone. I served it with basil lime chicken breast and it was awesome. Thanks Gaby, I love and try a lot of your recipes. It is one to be repeated for sure.
I may have missed it, but when does the vinaigrette go on?
Do you add vinagarette at end?
It says evoo divided in vinagarette?
fixed!!
How far in advance can you make this amazing sounding salad? Thanks
I'd say 2 days!!
We LOVE, LOVE, LOVE these pistachios added to all our different salads! This watermelon one will be a new take for us, and I can't wait to try it.