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Watermelon and Mint Salad with Thai Dressing
A quick and refreshing salad for a hot day
Jonathan Louis Ng
February 18, 2025
I’ve been loving the monsoon. Cool weather is a rarity in Singapore, and to have an extended period of windy and rainy days has been lovely. The Hot Sun hasn’t been shy in reminding us he’s still around though, and it was on one of those scorchers that I tried a version of this salad.
You may recognise the bones of this dish if you’ve ever had the classic Thai papaya salad. It’s similar—a Thai salad dressing tossed with fresh herbs and vegetables—but replacing the hard-to-find unripe papaya with watermelon makes this recipe that much more accessible, and makes it a fantastic dish to stave off hot weather.
Each ingredient pulls its own weight. Watermelon and cucumber are poster boys for refreshing and cooling ingredients. For bonus points, chill the salad in the fridge and serve cold. Mint also has cooling effects, and, along with coriander and spring onion, adds freshness and herbaceousness. Red onion adds visual contrast and crunchiness, while its sharpness balances out the sweetness of the watermelon. Peanuts add a textural crunch to the dish.
The Thai salad dressing—made from palm sugar, lime juice and fish sauce—is the perfect blend of sweet, sour, and salty. A touch of garlic and chilli round out the flavour profile with some heat and depth. Feel free to substitute the fish sauce for light soy sauce to make the recipe vegan.
The dressing can be made up to a week in advance, while the salad only needs ten minutes to prepare. You could serve it immediately, but it would benefit from at least an hour of refrigeration. It’s also easy to make in bulk and bring to parties, toss the dressing in right at the end.
This is perfect as a side dish, but to turn it into a more substantial meal, try adding some chilled poached prawns.
Recipe
Watermelon and Mint Salad with Thai Dressing
Beginner · Active 15 mins · Total 15 mins · Serves 4
This refreshing no-cook salad is a perfect lunch order for a hot day. Inspired by the classic papaya salad, I've swapped out the hard-to-find unripe papaya for a much friendlier alternative.
Chill the watermelon for some much needed relief from the heat. Coriander, mint and spring onion bring some herbaceous freshness, while cucumber and red onion lend a bit of crunch and bite.
The Thai salad dressing is equal parts salty, sweet and tangy, and so wonderfully balanced and versatile you can toss it over almost any kind of salad.
Omit the chilli (or double it) if you prefer changing up the spice. Toss in some cold poached prawns for a more substantial meal.
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Jonathan
Looking for more inspiration? Check out the recipe archive.
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