Spicy Watermelon Salsa Recipe

Watermelon, what can I say about this gorgeous fruit? We almost have a love-hate relationship with it. Ok, hold on! Not the kind of disliking hate, but the kind where we run out of ideas to use the entire fruit we just bought. In our case, it was even harder because I had to figure out ways to use the watermelons we harvested. You heard that right! We planted a couple of watermelon plants this year and have been blessed abundantly by these two plants. We harvested watermelons back to back week after week. There was plenty to eat, and share with our neighbors and still had more. Then I started making drinks with watermelon like this Watermelon Raspberry Lemonade and Spicy Watermelon juice. And that is when we had one large watermelon that we harvested which looked perfect but lacked the sweetness. This is when I thought I am going to use it to make something savory. I had a bag of tortilla chips in the pantry waiting to be used up with Tomato Salsa. That is now the different story about having a lot of tomatoes to be used up and we will come to that later. Focusing on the watermelon, I thought why not use this watermelon instead of tomatoes and make a spicy salsa? Talking about savory recipes with watermelon, this Watermelon steak is one more perfect recipe to add to the list. It is healthy and vegan and a great main course choice.

Watermelon Salsa or Pico de Gallo?

Salsa to me is a blended kind of dip. I would call this more as Watermelon Pico de Gallo but somehow naming it this way was not too much in rhythm. So I would call it watermelon salsa. A kind of chunky salsa where all the fresh ingredients are tossed together.

Why make this recipe?

We all need a good dip for our chips right? This is just the right kind that you won’t be able to stop with few. Excessive watermelon in hand. We all have that problem when we buy whole fruit from the store. This watermelon salsa is the perfect solution for that situation. Kids to adults, everyone will be taking bowl after bowl of this delicious salsa. And you won’t even need chips to eat this watermelon salsa. You can eat a bowlful of this as a savory fruit salad and then feel good about eating healthy! This watermelon salsa works with sweet watermelon or also the not-so-sweet watermelon. Yes, this recipe is perfect to make with watermelon that is not so sweet or bland.

Ingredients and substitutes

Check the recipe card at the bottom of the page for exact measurements and printable detailed recipes.

Watermelon - We will be using about 4 cups of finely chopped watermelon pieces. It needs to be chopped fine enough to be able to scoop onto a chip.

Onion - I would absolutely recommend using red onion for Pico de Gallo as it adds the best flavor.

Jalapeno - I use seeded and finely chopped jalapenos in my Watermelon salsa as we like spicy salsa. But if you want to keep it mild, substitute it with finely chopped red or orange bell pepper.

Cilantro - I need a good amount of cilantro in my watermelon Pico de Gallo. I love cilantro in everything and tend to use it a little excessively. Feel free to use based on your liking.

Lime or lemon juice

Salt and chat masala - I add a little bit of Indian chat masala in my watermelon salsa as it adds a lovely flavor. It is totally optional.

How to make Watermelon salsa?

The watermelon that we planted is a seeded one. If using a seeded watermelon, remove the seeds, skin, and rind and chop it into fine pieces. Chop the watermelon into tiny pieces so that we can scoop it onto a chip.

Place the chopped fruit in a large bowl.

Also chop onion, jalapeno, and cilantro and place them in the same bowl as the watermelon.

Add the salt needed and squeeze the lime juice and toss everything together.

Chill the salsa for a couple of hours before serving as it helps enhance the flavors.

Expert tips

Make sure to chop the watermelon in small pieces. It helps when scooping onto a chip. Use red onions for the best flavor. Add more vegetables like cucumber, and bell pepper as per your preference. Chill the watermelon salsa for a couple of hours for the best flavors.