If You’re Not Eating Savory Watermelon Dishes, You’re Missing Out

But while watermelon is perfectly delicious all on its own, it’s truly revolutionized in savory recipes that transport this summer fruit from a sweet and refreshing snack to a funky, spicy, and completely unexpected summer centerpiece.

Here are a few delicious salads that celebrate watermelon in all its savory glory.

This ultrasummery salad tosses watermelon with sweet and vinegary shallots and chunks of salt-and-pepper-seasoned mozzarella to create a true jamboree of flavor. Don’t let the sugared watermelon in this recipe fool you, though: The fruit sits covered in granulated sugar to ensure that it drains its juices but remains crisp and deliciously juicy in the salad.

Even though large chunks of watermelon benefit the intensely flavorful dressing that coats this tart and spicy salad, they don’t water it down. Mixing with the assertive flavors of lime juice, scallions, serrano chiles, and fresh cilantro, watermelon perfectly balances against the indulgent creaminess of pepitas and cotija cheese, which all stick to one another in the perfect bite this salad promises.

In this recipe, in order to drain the watermelon of its abundant juices, Cook’s Country test cooks used salt rather than sugar to extract moisture from both this summer fruit and the cucumber used alongside it. Tossed with fresh corn kernels straight from the cob, this salty salad will have you questioning why you’ve never tried savory watermelon in the first place.