Watermelon Cucumber Salsa Recipe is the essence of summer! It's sweet, cool and refreshing -- and it can be served as a snack with chips or alongside grilled chicken or fish for a fabulous dinner al fresco!
Watermelon salsa says poolside snack, it screams summer barbecue appetizer, it cools me off just to look at it, and it happens to be one of my favorite weekend recipes in the summertime!
This Watermelon Salsa with Cucumbers is the best, most delicious way to celebrate summer!
About the Ingredients
- watermelon - It's easiest to use a mini seedless watermelon for this recipe, though a larger one will also work. A ripe watermelon should have a pale yellow-whitish area, which is where it was sitting on the ground, unexposed to the sun. The yellower this is, the more ripe the watermelon is. And if there are vein-like webbing lines, that usually indicate extra sweetness. You can use a yellow watermelon if you'd like, but I prefer the red because they're usually sweeter and the color is so beautiful!
- cucumber - English cucumbers, also called Hot House or European, great for this recipe. They're skinnier, longer, have fewer seeds than regular cucumbers. However, you can use your favorite variety of cucumber, including Mini/Persian cucumbers.
- scallions (green onions) - The scallions provide a crisp mild crunch. Substitutions: Shallots or red onions are both good substitutes.
- cilantro - For me, cilantro is an essential salsa ingredient -- however, it's a love-it-or-hate-it-ingredient, so please feel free to omit it or use mint or basil as a substitution. Choose perky, bright green bunches.
- jalapeño peppers - Jalapeños vary in heat, so have a tiny taste of the pepper before adding it to the salsa, to be sure it's a level heat you're okay with. Choose deep green, shiny peppers.
- lime juice - Lime and watermelon pair together extremely well -- the tang from the citrus gives the salsa its zip. Substitution: If you need a substitution, you can use lemon juice, or orange juice, if you're looking for a more mellow flavor.
- cayenne pepper - Just a touch to round out the delicious kick from the jalapeño, which is perfectly balanced by the sweet watermelon.
How to Make it
- Combine all of the prepared ingredients together and season to taste with salt and pepper.
Recipe Tip: In the ingredient list you'll note that it says to add sugar to taste. Only do this if the watermelon isn't as sweet as you'd like.
Variations
- Extra spicy version. If you want more heat, add more jalapeño and/or cayenne pepper.
- Mild version. Skip the jalapeño and/or cayenne pepper.
Serving Suggestions
This salsa is incredibly versatile and works alongside a handful of foods.
- It's excellent over fish, shellfish, chicken, rice, on a tortilla chip, or even as a light summer side dish!
- Spoon this summer fruit salsa over tacos, burritos and nachos! I've done it and people love it!
- I love to mix it into greens and add shrimp for a main course salad.
Making it Ahead
Make this as close to serving time as you can -- or, if you have to make it in advance (which is totally okay), drain it a bit before serving. This is a salsa that will become very juicy the longer it sits.
Other Must-Try Summer Salsas
I hope you love this Watermelon Salsa recipe as much as my family and I do!
Watermelon Cucumber Salsa Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups watermelon, cut into a small dice
- 1 cup cucumber cut into a small dice, peel & seed first
- ⅓ cup finely sliced scallions, white and green portions
- ¼ cup fresh cilantro, washed, dried, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons very finely chopped jalapeño, washed, dried, seeded first
- ⅛ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- salt, freshly ground black pepper and sugar to taste
Instructions
- Gently combine all of the ingredients together in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Season to taste with salt, pepper and sugar. (Here's How to Season to Taste.)Keep the salsa covered in the refrigerator until you're ready to serve!
NOTES
NUTRITION
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valentina
Barbara -- this soup sounds lovely! Thank you for sharing with us! 🙂
2pots2cook
So much easier to stand the heat with this beautiful salad Valentina. Thank you so very much and have a pleasant day 🙂
valentina
Thank you so much! Hope you have a lovely day, too. 🙂 ~Valentina
John / Kitchen Riffs
Love fruit in salsa! This looks wonderful -- TONS of flavor and a lot of texture. Thanks!
valentina
Many thanks, John. I hope you love it! ~Valentina
angiesrecipes
One of the BEST summer salads! So refreshing and tasty.
valentina
Thank you, Angie! 😀
David Scott Allen
When you think of it, cucumbers are melons also… So it makes perfect sense to mix them with the watermelon! I look forward to trying this once melons come in the season here!
valentina
Thank you for teaching me that cucumbers a melon! Something I should have known, but I admit I had no idea. And now that I think about its structure, of course it's a melon! So yes, my salsa makes even more sense now. 🙂 Hope you love it. ~Valentina
David Scott Allen
Well, now more than two years later, I am getting watermelon at Trader Joe's (not season here yet) but I will get the cukes at the farmer's market - am going to make this on Sunday for the 4th! Yay! Happy 4th! Hope you are all doing something fun. xo
valentina
I hope they were a hit and thank you, David. Hope it was a great holiday weekend. 🙂 ~Valentina
Jeff the Chef
This is completely new to me. I've had watermelon salad and was so surprised at how delicious it was. I have a feeling this salsa is really tasty.
valentina
I hope you love it, Jeff. It's an unexpected salsa combination -- and so good! ~Valentina
Kelly | Foodtasia
Valentina, this salsa looks so refreshing! I love when cool, sweet, and spicy are combined. Such a flavor explosion!
valentina
Thanks, Kelly. Me too. 🙂 Enjoy! ~Valentina
Karen (Back Road Journal)
I don't think of using cucumbers often enough. Love the idea of them in this watermelon salsa, it is perfect for summer.
valentina
Thanks, Karen. Hope you give it a try over the summer. 🙂 ~Valentina
Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop
I love fruit salsas and using watermelon just makes sense. I'll bet this tastes fabulous served with a grilled chicken breast!
valentina
Yes! It does. Thanks, Kathy! 🙂 ~Valentina
Ron
Another great salsa recipe. I love the watermelon and cucumber combo and it certainly appears to pack a sweet punch. Well done and worthy of a return appearance.
valentina
Thanks for the kind words, Ron. I do love this one. Hope you're having a lovely weekend. ~Valentina
Deb|EastofEdenCooking
I'm patiently waiting for California melons to come in. This salsa recipe would be a fabulous way to enjoy their arrival!
valentina
Thanks, Deb. The watermelon at our local market in LA has already been so sweet! I was surprised so early. Have a lovely weekend. 🙂 ~Valentina
David @ Spiced
This salsa sounds delicious, Valentina! We eat watermelon like it's going out of style in the summer, but now I want to whip up a batch of salsa. I love the addition of jalapenos in this one. We didn't plant any jalapenos this year - the thought of a garden was a bit too much given all of the work in the new house. But I still have a big bag of frozen jalapenos from last year's harvest...and there are some red ones in there! Now I know how to use 'em! 🙂
valentina
Thanks, David. Awesome you froze last year's jalapeños. And yes, way too much while moving into a new house -- dust will be settled for next summer. 🙂 Cheers! ~Valentina
Gerlinde
What a refreshing and tasty salsa, it hits the spot on a hot day.
valentina
It does! Thanks. 🙂 ~Valentina
Christina Conte
This is soooo refreshing! Both watermelon and cucumber are such great "cool" foods for summer. Thanks for the recipe!
valentina
Right!? I love them both separately and together. Thank you, my friend. 🙂 ~Valentina