Cucumber Melon Salad – Chopped cucumber melon salad

We love this Cucumber Melon Salad! Loaded with melon, cucumber, pickled onions, feta cheese and pistachios, it’s all drizzled with a basil and mint vinaigrette. It’s a big bite of summer and perfect for any meal!

This refreshing salad is one for the books!

Chopped melon and cucumber come together in this super refreshing, chilling bowl of deliciousness. Mixed with fresh herbs, creamy feta cheese, some roasted pistachios and flavorful pickled onions, this is incredibly delicious. Oh yes, and the vinaigrette – pure heaven!

Okay, let’s face it: Who else gets all that Bath and Body Works vibe of the ’90s and early 2000s every time you hear the words “cucumber melon”?

Um, yes, cucumber melon was my life! It was so sweet, refreshing and delicious in all its alcohol and fragrance richness. I mean, it was the scent and I wanted it in every single version: Body Splash, Body Cream, Body Wash and more.

I literally sneeze just thinking about my twenties.

This isn’t the first time I’ve had a recipe inspired by a bath product. I’ve created a few others inspired by my favorite candle scents as a kid, which seems odd unless you love gourmet scents. Check out white chocolate lavender ice cream and cookies, plus pumpkin chai muffins and more.

Anyway! This is the main place I found inspiration for this recipe. The other thing is that I just love fruit in a hearty salad. Something that makes it salty, savory and delicious, and adding the cucumber just seemed natural due to its cool, refreshing taste.

The key here is HACKING the ingredients. Making a chopped salad out of it is the best. You can get a bite of everything and it goes great with grilled chicken, steak or even fish. It can look almost like a salsa or even a relish, depending on how small you cut the pieces.

I mean, I wouldn’t mind picking it up with a chip either…

Here’s what we have in store!

Chopped melon. This is my go-to melon, but you could use watermelon or even honeydew melon. However, my family is obsessed with melons…I can’t even begin to tell you how many we eat in a week.

Chopped cucumber. Again for this hearty, chilling and refreshing melon puzzle piece. There’s nothing better than a cool pickle in the summer when it’s hot outside. It moisturizes!

Pickled onions. Because let’s be honest: can I do anything without them? They live in my fridge every week and I love their spicy, salty bite. They’re also bright pink, which I think is a huge asset.

feta cheese. This is my favorite twist on the salad and I love how crumbly it gets. That means you can get a bite in almost every fork of salad. Goat cheese could also be used here. Or omit the cheese altogether.

pistachios! I love some crunch and texture in my salad – it’s no secret. Pistachios are so buttery and pair well with fruit and herbs. For convenience, I like to use a roasted, salted variant. But any other nut you like can work here, too.

Fresh herbs. Especially fresh mint and basil. These cooling, refreshing herbs not only fit wonderfully into the salad, they also provide the summery taste and the sweet and savory component.

A fabulous vinaigrette. Okay, this is where we’re really going to shine! I’m making a mint basil vinaigrette that’s out of this world. It’s bright green, herbaceous, fresh and enhances any meal. Don’t skip this part!

The vinaigrette is my favorite part of this salad. The mint and basil scream SUMMER beautifully in every way. I love it for serving, drizzling, dipping, just about everything.

As always I use my Nutribullet to bring this together and really mix these herbs together, giving it an incredible shade of green that I love. It just looks like summer.

The crunch is outrageously good and the cheese goes great with the melon. It’s a bowl that’s not only beautiful, but easy to put together!

And now it’s my salad of the summer!

Cucumber and melon salad

You can almost taste it.