Watermelon Fruit Salad with Jicama, Strawberries & Lime

Quick Summary: A refreshing no-cook summer salad combining sweet watermelon and strawberries with crunchy jicama and a bright lime-jalapeño dressing. No added sugar needed. Perfect for Fourth of July, picnics, or any summer gathering. Prep: 20 min | Serves: 6

Jump to: RECIPE | What is Jicama? | Ingredients | Tips for Best Salad | Leftover Ideas | FAQ

Fruit salads are the quintessential summer salads, and nothing says summer picnics better than a watermelon fruit salad.

This fruit salad takes the classic in a Mexican direction, with crunchy jicama for texture, fresh jalapeños for heat, lime juice for brightness, and mint and cilantro for freshness.

This is the kind of salad that gets better as it sits. Make it ahead, let the flavors meld in the refrigerator, and serve cold on a hot day.

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What Is Jicama?

Jicama (HEE-kah-mah) is a root vegetable popular in Mexican cuisine. It has crisp, white flesh similar to a water chestnut or Asian pear, with a mild, slightly sweet flavor.

Why it works in fruit salad: Jicama stays crunchy even after sitting in juice for hours. It adds textural contrast to soft watermelon and strawberries without competing on flavor.

How to prep: Peel the tough brown skin with a vegetable peeler or knife, then cut the white flesh into bite-sized pieces.

Look for jicama in the produce section near other Latin vegetables, or at Mexican grocery stores.

Ingredients and Substitutions

Here is a visual list of the ingredients. Check out the recipe below for detailed measurements of each ingredient:

• Watermelon: Seedless is easier. Cut into bite-sized cubes.
• Strawberries: Quartered. Use ripe, in-season berries for best flavor.
• Jicama: Peeled and cubed. No good substitute for the crunch, but you could skip it.
• Jalapeños: Remove seeds for less heat. Serranos work for more heat.
• Herbs: Mint highlights sweetness. Cilantro brings out the lime. Use one or both.
• Lime juice: Fresh-squeezed only. Bottled lime juice tastes flat.

Good Substitutions or Additions

If you want to forgo the cilantro-lime flavors, and prefer a sweeter fruit salad, you might want to dress it with an infused simple syrup instead.

What to Do with Leftovers

If you happen to have any watermelon salad left over, and it’s starting to get mushy, try one of these options to carry it forward:

• Blend it up into a lovely watermelon agua fresca.
• Alternatively, watermelon gazpacho anyone?
• Smoothie base: Blend with ice and a splash of coconut water.

Also for a similar fruit salad with a Mexican flair, check out this spicy Mexican fruit salad (with mangos and cucumbers)

Tips for the Best Fruit Salad

• Let it meld: Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes (up to overnight) before serving. The flavors develop as the fruit releases juice and absorbs the lime and salt.
• Salt matters: Kosher salt draws out juice and intensifies sweetness. Don’t skip it.
• Cut uniformly: Bite-sized pieces of similar size look better and eat more easily.
• Serve cold: This salad is most refreshing straight from the refrigerator on a hot day.
• Drain before serving: If the salad has released a lot of liquid, use a slotted spoon to serve, or drain off some of the juice.

FAQ

If you want to delve into the world of Mexican cuisine, you’ll want to take a look at this checklist for stocking a Mexican pantry.