Happy Independence Day! If you want a simple, impressive side dish to pair with just about ANYTHING from the grill, you’ve come to the right place. Does this scream summer or what?
The standout idea here is not only serving fruit in fruit but also cutting watermelon out in fun star shapes. It makes it so much more festive than your average fruit salad. I used a variety of star cookie cutter sizes for optimum cuteness.
This delightfully patriotic dish is easy to make. I think it’s the cutest with just red and blue fruit but of course, it would also be delicious with mango, kiwi, orange wedges, and more.
Festive Fruit Salad in a Watermelon Bowl
1 seedless watermelon (choose one that’s heavier than it should be to make sure you get a juicy one!)
1/2 pound strawberries, hulled, rinsed, dried, and quartered
4 plums
1 pint blueberries, rinsed and pat dry
- Carefully slice your watermelon in half lengthwise. Choose the prettier half to be bowl. Put the other half aside for now. Flip the pretty watermelon half upside down so that it lays flat on a cutting board. Carefully slice about a 3-4″ circle off the center, not enough so that you cut into the watermelon but enough to just skim the surface and make the watermelon bowl sit flat on a plate.
- Turn the “bowl” right side up and scoop out the watermelon, leaving about a 1/2″ of watermelon to keep the bowl sturdy. Reserve the scooped out watermelon for another use. (I tossed it in a blender and will turn it into a wine cocktail using pink moscato and seltzer water for a refreshing poolside drink.)
- Toss together blueberries and strawberries in the watermelon bowl. Slice plums in half, remove the pits, then slice each half into quarters. Toss with berries. Isn’t the color contrast between bright red strawberries and dark red plums lovely?
- Remember your reserved half of watermelon? Cut 3-4 slices out of the center, about 1″ thick. Use cookie cutters to cut out stars of varying sizes. Gently toss little watermelon stars with the rest of the fruit. Decorate the platter with a few large watermelon stars.
That’s it! A simple touch of a watermelon bowl and star-shaped watermelon is all you need to elevate a fruit salad into a holiday-worthy side dish.
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