Watermelon Strawberry Salsa is just like tomato salsa, but so sweet and fresh. It has the normal red onion and jalapeño in it, but the strawberries and watermelon have an added boost with basil, mint and lime juice with just a touch of honey to balance it all out.

Sometimes you cannot get enough watermelon. I have the answer for you, Watermelon Strawberry Salsa! This delicious appetizer looks and tastes like summer. It is light and fresh and makes the perfect compliment to any summer meal!

Studio 5 asked me to do a little research and kitchen test trials to come up with more things to do with watermelon. This next segment is all about the discoveries I made. You can find the complete segment here on Youtube.com. We are making Watermelon Strawberry Salsa, Watermelon Mango salsa, Watermelon Strawberry Banana Smoothies and Watermelon Coconut Smoothies. There are Watermelon Fries with lots of different fruit dips. I am also making Watermelon Syrup to add to your mocktails, lemonades and limeades.

How to Make Watermelon Strawberry Salsa

1. Pick a good watermelon. Look for a watermelon that has a field spot on the bottom. This is a yellow spot where the watermelon has been resting on the ground. Also look for bee stings. This means the watermelon is sweet. They look like scratches on the exterior of the watermelon. Also look for a deep green color and a heavy watermelon.

The mistake many people make is getting a small watermelon because they don’t want a lot of fruit. Most watermelons are about the same price if you buy them at big box stores. So, buy a big one and throw away what you don’t use. Small watermelons usually mean they are not full grown nor do they have a sweet flavor because they are not all the way ripe.

If you are looking for a shortcut to Cut a Watermelon, take a look at my video and post here.

2. Cut off the rind of the watermelon or cut out the meat of the watermelon from the rind. Place the flat side on the cutting board and make 1/2 inch slices. Cut these into small cubes like you would find in a salsa. To me, the watermelon in this salsa is like tomatoes in a regular salsa. So try and make the watermelon the same size as tomatoes in salsa.

3. Slice a pint of strawberries into small pieces. I like to cut off the tops of the strawberries and then cut them in half. Place the flat side of the strawberry on the cutting board and then make small slices down the length of the berry. Cut across these slices to make small squares of strawberries. If you have some berries that are a little past their prime, this is a perfect way to use them up.

4. Cut the jalapeño and red onion into small pieces. You are serving this on tortilla chips or pita chips so you want to make sure you can pick everything up in one bite and get it in your mouth. It takes a little longer, but you will be so happy that you spent the time cutting everything into small pieces.

To cut the jalapeño, cut the top off with the stem and then cut down the middle of the pepper. Using a spoon, dig out the middle rib and seeds. I have an allergic reaction to jalapeños. The oil on the pepper stays on my skin. Even if I wash my hands, the oil tends to stay and will burn my face later in the day when I touch it. I always use gloves when handling the peppers. Jalapeños are delicious and make a lot of things taste very good. Gloves have made life more pleasurable for me when handling them.

Do you know what a Chiffonade Knife Cut is? You will learn more in this Watermelon Strawberry Salsa Post.

5. Pick off eight leaves on a basil Plant. I buy the whole plant in the grocery store. It is about the same price as the ones in the refrigerator section in the small plastic boxes, but you get so much more. Lay the leaves on top of each other and then roll them up. Cut across the rolls to make ribbons of basil. I then chop these up into even smaller pieces.

Do the same with the mint leaves. This is called a Chiffonade Knife Cut. It is very helpful and now you know a fancy French chef term. Cut across the ribbons of mint and make smaller pieces.
Chop a quarter of the cilantro bunch of and cut into small pieces. This should be about 2 – 3 Tbsp. of cilantro. Perfect for this salsa.

6. Add the watermelon and strawberries chunks into a medium size bowl. Add the jalapeño, red onion as well as the basil, mint and cilantro. Next comes the honey and lime juice. Mix everything together gently until it looks like salsa.

7. Serve with tortilla or pita chips. I also think this is delicious on small naan bread that can purchased at your local grocery store or you can make your own Naan Bread here. If you have not made naan bread, you should give it a try. It is so delicious.