It isn’t summer without watermelon, is it? We have memories of juicy watermelon slices from childhood and more recent ones of watermelon margaritas and aguas frescas. Fruit salads with perfect spheres of sweet, crisp watermelon have been a warm weather mainstay for decades, but here we give it the savory treatment. This picturesque watermelon salad is marinated in a lime dressing before getting topped with tender Louisiana shrimp, spicy jalapeños, and tart crumbles of queso fresco (though feta would be a fine substitute).
Watermelon-Shrimp Salad
Yields: 4 servings
Ingredients
- 4 (¾-inch-thick) watermelon wedges
- 4 teaspoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon lime zest
- ⅓ cup plus 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice, divided
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt, divided
- 12 peeled and deveined large fresh shrimp, cooked, whole or coarsely chopped
- 1 cup diced seedless watermelon
- ¾ cup grape tomatoes, quartered
- ½ cup coarsely chopped avocado
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
- 1 tablespoon chopped seeded jalapeño pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon ground cumin
- ¼ cup crumbled queso fresco
- Garnish: fresh cilantro sprigs, extra-virgin olive oil
Instructions
- In a glass baking dish, place watermelon wedges. In a small bowl, combine sugar, zest, ⅓ cup lime juice, and ⅛ teaspoon salt; pour over watermelon wedges. Refrigerate for 1 hour, turning once.
- In a medium bowl, combine cooked shrimp, diced watermelon, tomatoes, avocado, cilantro, jalapeño, cumin, remaining 1 tablespoon lime juice, and remaining ⅛ teaspoon salt; gently toss. Arrange watermelon wedges on serving plates. Spoon shrimp mixture over watermelon wedges; sprinkle with cheese. Garnish with cilantro and olive oil, if desired.
