When you want a little crunch with your watermelon

Since I’ve shared two watermelon recipes this week, I might as well continue with watermelon in my flashback. As opposed to Monday’s recipe, this salad could use a little time in the fridge. It’s still fairly simple to make, but a couple hours in the fridge will allow the dressing time to become fully incorporated.

I had forgotten that this salad was made originally as part of my son’s 17th birthday, and the celery was added because according to him regular fruit salad is boring. Having made this salad a couple times since then, I can assure that this isn’t a boring fruit salad. Besides having watermelon and celery, there’s also a citrus dressing that adds another dimension of flavor to the dish.

To me, celery is the perfect foil for many a dish. Making a chicken salad sandwich? Add celery for crunch. How about a potato salad? Yep, again it adds crunch, plus a hint of color. Creating a stirfry? Celery will add crunch and color to that dish also. I almost never think of celery as the star, but it still has a lot of value. That little bit of crunch that celery provides can transform a dish from just ok to excellent.

If you’re looking for a new way to present a fruit salad or just want a new, cool side dish for summer, this Watermelon & Celery Salad is a great choice. You’ll wonder why you never thought to add celery to a fruit salad before now.