Esquites-Inspired Watermelon Salad

This fresh, juicy side dish is an unabashed mash-up of two of my favorite summer foods: ruby-red watermelon and Mexican street corn salad (esquites). Instead of letting corn have all the fun, you’ll toss cubes of watermelon with all the classic esquites fixings for a salty-sweet dish that’s guaranteed to be popular. If you’ve ever sprinkled Tajin on your watermelon wedges, I have a feeling you’ll want to make this dish ASAP.

For far too long, watermelon has been forced to mingle with the same ol’ ingredients: feta and mint. And while I actually really love that type of salad, I can’t tell you how refreshing it is to dive into a platter of watermelon that tasted totally new and unexpected. The idea for this salad was actually inspired by a dish that a former Kitchn editor enjoyed from a street cart in Mexico.

For this salad, you’ll toss cubes of watermelon (you can start with a whole watermelon or buy pre-cut cubes), with a generous amount of lime zest and juice, a sprinkling of flaky sea salt, and a pinch of chili powder, which adds a subtle kick of heat without overpowering the dish. Then, you’ll finish it off with a shower of salty cotija cheese, fresh cilantro, and a few grinds of black pepper. The result is an explosion of sweet, salty, spicy, tangy flavors — pretty good for a side dish that comes together in mere minutes.

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