Balsamic Watermelon Salad

This is another one of those fruit-lettuce combinations I really enjoy in the summer.  It’s just like the strawberry salad I posed a couple weeks back, only the out-of-season strawberries are swapped with coming-into-season watermelon.  I also interchanged the dressing here, and went with a simple oil/balsamic vinaigrette.

A general rule of thumb you can follow when making dressings like this is two parts oil to one part vinegar, and a dash of salt and pepper. I generally like my salad dressings a little more on the acidic side though, so I usually stick with a 1.5:1 ration.  The acidity of the balsamic pairs particularly well with the natural sweetness of the watermelon.  The melon also adds a nice crispy burst of juiciness to each bite of lettuce.  Here, I’ve included chopped mint as well, which keeps the salad even fresher and gives it a cool summer feel.

If you’re looking for an easy dish to contribute to a Fourth of July festivity, fresh salad is always a good one to go with.  Rather than bringing a plain old bowl of lettuce with the expected tomato/onion/cucumber toppings, spruce it up with watermelon and mint to make it a side dish worth remembering.