Strawberry Watermelon Caprese Salad is a nourishing, flavorful, summertime salad with fresh from the garden strawberries, watermelon, and basil.
Do you like summer? I do, so I thought I’d share the top ten things I love about summer – well, that and a scrumptious summer recipe featuring strawberries, watermelon and basil. Here goes . . .
Top 10 things I love about summer:
- Long walks in the evening with my husband
- No school and more time for all those other things I’d like to get done
- Listening to the frogs and toads call to each other in the early evening
- The scent of lavender, roses, and peonies
- The smell of the outdoors after a warm summer rain
- Sitting outside by a fire in the evening with good friends
- Fresh mint in my water glass pretty much everyday
- Watching my kids’ baseball games on a warm, sunny day
- Playing basketball or Frisbee with my family
- Fresh from the garden tomatoes, strawberries, and basil
The last one brings me to today’s recipe: Strawberry Watermelon Caprese Salad. You traditionally make Caprese salad with tomatoes, basil, and sliced fresh mozzarella, and then season it with olive oil, salt, and pepper. It’s one of my favorite summertime salads. There’s only one problem right now. My tomatoes are not ripe yet; and a good Caprese salad demands fresh-from-the-garden tomatoes for the best flavor.
However, my basil is growing faster than my tomatoes and needs a good pruning. I’ve made pesto and have some drying in my dehydrator, but I still have more to use. Since it’s strawberry season here, and strawberries and basil complement each other very well, I put them together in a caprese-like salad with watermelon and fresh mozzarella.
If you can, use fresh picked strawberries and basil for the best taste. There’s nothing quite like them. The strawberries are sweet and juicy, and packed with flavor and color. Supermarket strawberries pale in comparison. Fresh basil has a heady, spicy scent and begs to be used in salads, pesto, sandwiches, sauces, salsa, and more.
This Strawberry Watermelon Caprese Salad provides more than flavor and color. It’s nourishing as well. Strawberries supply nutrients like vitamin C, anthocyanins, fiber, and antioxidants. Fresh basil is a good source of vitamin K and beta-carotene. Watermelon provides lycopene, and vitamins C, A, and B6. Finally, fresh mozzarella brings a bit protein, and olive oil brings healthy fats to the salad.
So there you have it – a nourishing, flavorful summertime salad with fresh-from-the-garden ingredients. What could be better? Maybe I should add this to my top ten things I love about summer.
Do you have a top ten list of things you like about summer? I would love to read about them in the comments below!
Strawberry Watermelon Caprese Salad
Ingredients
- 3 c. sliced fresh strawberries
- 3 c. cubed watermelon seedless or seeds removed
- 1/2 c. chopped fresh basil lightly packed
- 3/4 c. cubed fresh mozzarella
- 2 Tbsp. Mandarin Orange olive oil you can use plain extra virgin olive oil if desired
- 4 tsp. Lemongrass Mint Balsamic vinegar or plain white balsamic vinegar
- 1/8 tsp. fresh ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a large bowl, toss together the sliced strawberries, watermelon, basil, and mozzarella.
- To make the vinaigrette, whisk together the olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and pepper.
- For best results, drizzle the vinaigrette over the salad immediately before serving and not before.
Notes
Such a delicious salad! Love all the fresh ingredients and so jealous of your basil!!
Thanks, Jessica! I’m trying to use and preserve as much as my basil before the Japanese Beetles come out in a week or two. Maybe I’ll be lucky this year and they’ll leave it alone. 🙂
Such a perfectly beautiful salad, Marie. Flavour, bright colours and so much deliciousness! I love strawberries and watermelon together and I am on a strawberry binge these days. Sharing!
PS…love the shots!!
Aww, thanks Robyn! I love the flavors too. And thanks for the comment on the photos. I feel like I’ve been struggling lately with them. Hope you have a great weekend!