Laura Rege is a Food Stylist and Recipe Developer who regularly contributes recipes and styles videos and photos for Delish. If she isn't in the Delish kitchens, you'll most likely find her out on the town looking for the next food trends in the US and on her travels abroad.
Refreshing and super easy, this Thai watermelon salad recipe walks the tightrope between sweet and spicy in just the right way. The combination of peak-summer watermelon and juicy peaches is coated in a Thai-inspired dressing that hits all the right flavor notes. There's umami-packed fish sauce, tangy lime juice, and a trifecta of heat from fresh chiles, fresh ginger, and sambal oelek. Finished with basil, scallions, and peanuts, the salad is perfect served alongside easy grilled main dishes, like shrimp, steak, or salmon.
Play around with the chiles based on what you can find at the grocery store. Jalapeños are a great and easily accessible substitute for serrano chiles, but Thai bird chiles would be an ideal swap. If you like heat, use the entire pepper; if you don’t, make sure to take out the seeds.
- Yields:
- 4 - 6 serving(s)
- Prep Time:
- 20 mins
- Total Time:
- 25 mins
Ingredients
- 1/4 c.
fresh lime juice
- 1 tbsp.
sambal oelek
- 1 tsp.
finely grated peeled ginger
- 1 tsp.
fish sauce
- 2
scallions, thinly sliced
- 1/2
serrano chile, thinly sliced
- 1/2 c.
thinly sliced fresh Thai or Italian basil leaves, plus whole leaves for serving
- 6 c.
seedless watermelon chunks or melon balls
- 2
ripe peaches, seeded and cut into 1/2" slices
- 1/2 c.
dry roasted peanuts, crushed, plus more for serving
Directions
- Step 1In a large bowl, whisk lime juice, sambal oelek, ginger, and fish sauce. Stir in scallions, chile, and basil.
- Step 2Add watermelon, peaches, and peanuts and toss to coat. Sprinkle with more basil and peanuts and serve immediately.
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