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Spicy Vegan Watermelon Salad with Corn Nuts and Basil

5 from 5 votes
Prep Time 30 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 6 -8
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Ingredients

Dressing

  • ¾ teaspoon ground chilies (see note)
  • ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • ¼ cup avocado oil
  • 1 teaspoon lime zest, plus extra
  • 2 tablespoons lime juice
  • 1 tablespoon maple syrup
  • 1 teaspoon Tamari
  • sea salt, to taste

Salad

  • ½ cup salted corn nuts (also called toasted corn)
  • 7-8 cups chopped watermelon (bite sized pieces)
  • flaky salt, such as Maldon
  • ⅔ cup cherry tomatoes, halved
  • ½ small red onion, thinly sliced
  • 1 ripe avocado, pitted and diced
  • 1 small Fresno chili, very thinly sliced (optional)
  • ¼ cup fresh basil leaves, thinly sliced

Instructions

  • Place the ground chilies and ground black pepper in a small bowl. In a small skillet or saucepan, heat the avocado oil over medium-high heat. Once it’s hot, pour it over the chilies and pepper. Give it a little stir. Let it cool for 5 minutes. Then, add the lime zest, lime juice, maple syrup, Tamari, and salt. Whisk to combine and set aside.
  • In a food processor, grind up the corn nuts until they’re finely chopped. Set aside.
  • Build the salad. Arrange the chopped watermelon on a large platter. Drizzle half of the dressing over the watermelon and sprinkle a bit of flaky sea salt.
  • Over the watermelon, scatter the halved cherry tomatoes, red onion slices, diced avocado, sliced Fresno chili, and sliced basil. Drizzle the remaining dressing over top and season with flaky salt again. Finally, sprinkle the ground up corn nuts over top and finish with some more lime zest if you like. Enjoy immediately!

Equipment

Recipe Notes

  • I use a mix of Guntur Sannam Chilies and Silk Chili for my ground chilies. Gochugaru would also be excellent here.
  • Top with the corn nuts right before serving! They can get a little sticky if they sit too long. 
  • I find that one of those small/individual sized watermelons gets you the perfect amount for this salad.
This spicy vegan watermelon salad is loaded with flavour from a fresh lime, chili and black pepper-infused dressing. Ground up salty corn nuts on top bring crunch and highlight the sweet watermelon. Ready in 30 minutes and no cheese needed!