August Recipes: BBQ Watermelon Salad with Creamy Harissa & Peanut Butter Dressing
- Felicity Vincent
- Aug 9, 2024
- 5 min read
Use fresh and barbecued watermelon in this summery vegan salad.
Smoky grilled watermelon slices with a spicy harissa glaze, a fresh watermelon, cucumber and mint salad topped with a creamy peanut butter & harissa dressing.
A quick healthy salad full of textures and flavours. This recipe is perfect for a healthy lunch or sunny day gathering.
This recipe is only available for my paid subscribers.
Follow the link below to create an account and gain full access to this recipe with its own 'how to video' + extra tips, keys to success and detailed health/mood benefits. You'll also get access to my full catalogue of 80+ seasonal healthy recipes, travel recommendations and a new exclusive recipe with a detailed video every week.
Only £3.99/month.
Ingredients (serves 2):
Creamy peanut & harissa dressing recipe:
2 Tbs peanut butter (or tahini)
2 tsp harissa paste
2 limes, juiced
Sea salt
BBQ watermelon salad recipe:
1/2 watermelon (approx 600g)
150g spinach
220g cucumber
12g mint leaves
40g roasted peanuts
1 tsp harissa paste
1 tsp dijon mustard
1 Tbs vegetable oil
1/2 tsp ras-el-hanout
Sea salt
Method:
Smash the cucumber on a chopping board with a rolling pin until it has been flattened and started to crack open.
Roughly chop the cucumber into bite-sized pieces.
Wash the spinach, drain it and roughly chop it down. Do the same with the mint leaves.
Save all the greens to the side while you prepare the watermelon.
Halve a watermelon on the chopping board. Save one half for other recipes. Slice a 1-inch thick round piece of the watermelon. Quarter this into 4 slices, these will be for the barbecue.
For the rest of the watermelon, remove the skin by cutting along the side of it and following the rind with the blade of a large knife. Then cut the watermelon into bite-sized cubes and keep this in the fridge until you are ready to assemble the salad.
Prepare the harissa glaze: mix all the ingredients with a pastry brush until well combined. Brush the glaze generously on both sides of each watermelon slice.
Griddle the glazed watermelon slices on a bbq until charred on both sides.
Measure out the dressing ingredient in a large mixing bowl with a couple pinches of salt and whisk until creamy. If using tahini, and the dressing seizes (looks split) then add a little bit of water and whisk again.
Add the spinach, cucumber, watermelon cubes and mint to the dressing. Toss to coat evenly and serve up. Top each salad with the bbq watermelon slices, a garnish of roasted peanuts and a bit more mint if available.
Bon appétit!
More about this watermelon recipe:
Recipe shortcuts:
You can also cook the watermelon under the grill. Keep an eye on it, once it has charred on one side flip it over and leave it to char on the other side.
Use tahini instead of peanut butter if you are allergic.
Keys to success:
The dressing is thick and creamy therefore it coats the watermelon and cucumber nicely. However, It will draw out the moisture and become more liquid over time, so this salad is best served immediately. Alternatively, serve the dressing separately as a drizzle.
Health benefits of watermelon:
They're a good source of:
biotin which enables us to release energy from food and supports cell health;
They also contain:
vitamin C which supports bone and cell health, the immune system, as well as enabling wound healing;
vitamin B6 which is required to convert food into energy and for the formation of haemoglobin;
vitamin A (carotenoids) which supports the immune system and contributes to eye and skin health.
In addition, watermelon supports the body and mind by supplying other nutrients.
Firstly, it has a high concentration of lycopene, even more so then tomatoes. In case you haven't read my latest tomato recipe, Tomato, Ricotta & Pesto Tart:
Lycopene is a type of carotenoid pigment which gives watermelon its signature red colour. Therefore, its concentration is obviously lower in yellow watermelon varieties.
Its known benefits are as follows:
It has strong anti-cancer properties;
It can inhibit oxidative damage caused by exercise, and combined with watermelon's high water content and electrolytes, watermelon (with a pinch of salt) can make an excellent post-exercise snack/drink;
It is an excellent antioxidant, and is one of the best singlet oxygen scavenger which can cause diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's;
It has been shown to protect the brain from stroke and slow down symptoms of dementia;
it participates in reducing blood pressure (of hypertensive individuals only) and the amount of blood LDL cholesterol, also known as bad cholesterol; therefore reducing the incidence of cardiovascular disease;
it may protect the skin from UV damage and promote pro-collagen production which contributes to bouncy/youthful looking skin;
Finally, it potentially plays a role in reducing insulin resistance and therefore the development of diabetes mellitus.
Blending watermelon will improve the bioavailability of lycopene. It is also fat soluble, so mixing it with a bit of EVOO will improve its absorption by the intestine.
Alongside lycopene, it also contains the pigment beta-cryptoxanthin, a derivative of beta-carotene. This antioxidant also has anti-obesity, anti-cancer and anti-inflammatory properties that in part help to protect joints from aging-related aches such as rheumatoid arthritis.
Unsurprisingly, watermelon contains 92% water and free water potassium and magnesium, so it can help you reach daily hydration needs to support body function including brain, digestive and bowel function. And, to put it plainly, a watermelon can help you stay regular.
Top it with salt to replenish water lost during exercise, or have some as your post-night out snack to reduce the chances of a bad hangover.
It also helps to reduce sodium-related water retention and therefore lowers blood pressure.
Watermelon has a low GI so will help maintain steady blood glucose levels.
Finally, it's the best food source of citrulline, an amino acid which our body is also capable of synthesising. It may have a positive impact on exercise performance and cardiovascular health, and it is also used as a precursor for arginine, an amino acid required for protein synthesis.
Mood Food - Happy:
Vitamin C - involved in converting dopamine to noradrenaline - low amounts of noradrenaline are associated with depression.
Lycopene and beta-cryptoxanthin - anti-inflammatory properties linked to brain health and lower risk of depression.
Vitamin B6 - required in the conversion of tryptophan to serotonin, one of our feel good hormones linked to serenity and happiness - low amounts of B6 have been linked to tiredness, irritability and depression.
Hopefully this makes you excited to try this and many other watermelon recipes during its season!
You can find lots of ideas on how to cook with watermelon in my newsletter: https://felicityvincent.substack.com/
Full Video:
Cook along with this step-by-step video and learn how to make my tomato tart recipe.
Photos:
Comments