Hello, gorgeous. This Watermelon Caprese Salad is just to-die-for delicious. The juicy, sweet watermelon is made all the more irresistible thanks to the rich, creaminess of the mozzarella and that smoky, salty bite from the bacon.

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Additionally, that bacon is going to be candied as well, which just means we’ll sprinkle a little brown sugar over it as it cooks in the pan. The sugar coats and then caramelizes the bacon but it also adds flavor to the drippings in the pan. These drippings will serve as a base for the warm bacon dressing that we’ll spoon down over the mozzarella and watermelon.

A little fresh basil and a shower of cracked pepper, and you’ve got yourself a superstar salad. Read on for more, or simply jump ahead to the recipe.

Season your salads: a PSA (public salad announcement)

I like to really shower each and every one of my salads with salt and pepper, just as I would a main course, soup, salad appetizer, etc. Salads, even though they typically are dressed in one way or another, deserve the same delicious treatment that we give to all of our other courses as well.

That said, please don’t ever salt a salad in advance. No, salads should be lightly seasoned JUST BEFORE EATING, as salt will draw out water/moisture from ingredients, changing their consistency and sort of tanking the whole endeavor.

Season salads simply with salt and pepper

So, with today’s gorgeous watermelon caprese salad, I like to literally plate/style the whole she-bang and then sprinkle a bit of flaky sea salt and lots of freshly cracked black pepper. Pepper and melon go together like … well, pepper and melon. Which is to say – very well indeed.

The best way to serve this watermelon salad

If you take a sec to peruse the salad options we’ve got going on here on MKL, you’ll notice that every single one is served in/on a big platter. There is nary a bowl in sight. This is because I fully believe that salads are best served so all of the ingredients are visible – so you can see what’s in them.

Also, heavy ingredients will always fall to the bottom of a bowl, rendering them sad, sunken, and largely forgotten. They become useless and far less helpful to the success of the dish.

Substitutions and other nice ideas

As is the case with most every recipe I ever share here on MKL, this take on a summery caprese salad is fun to play around with, ingredient-wise. You can absolutely swap out certain ingredients for others, using what you have on hand, what sounds good to you instead, or what you feel particularly inspired to do. I encourage this wholeheartedly.

Speaking of inspiration, here are some tweaks, twists and turns you could take with this recipe that would be wonderful:

Instead of tomato, try sneaking in some cucumber instead or in addition to. I love pairing melon with cucumber in big summery, salad platters. Like in this Poppyseed Cucumber and Peach Salad with Fried Bread.
Add a little honey into the dressing, in place of the sugar, for a floral, sticky touch. Like in this Sriracha Honey Mustard Breakfast Potato Salad
Not a fan of watermelon? This salad works with any summertime fruit, be it peaches, plums, nectarines, or any manner of melon. So, just use what you like, or a mixture of a few great things. Take a little inspo from my favorite Peaches and Cream salad with Spicy Pepperoni.

What you’ll need to make this watermelon salad

INGREDIENTS

6 slices bacon

½ cup brown sugar

1 TBSP Dijon mustard

Salt and pepper, as needed

2 tsp balsamic vinegar

½ cup olive oil (or to taste)

One tsp Sriracha

1 tsp sugar

One small seedless watermelon, sliced into wedges

A large beefsteak tomato, sliced

12-oz, sliced fresh mozzarella

Fresh basil leaves

Watermelon Caprese Salad with Candied Bacon Dressing

How to make this Caprese Salad with Watermelon

Begin by making the dressing. Coat the bacon in the brown sugar, using more if needed to fully coat each slice. Place the bacon in a large deep-sided skillet (nonstick, preferably) set over medium-high heat. Cook, keeping an eye on them, until caramelized and browned; about 4 to 5 minutes, flipping halfway through. NOTE: The sugar can burn if you don’t watch out, so reduce the heat if needed and just turn them as needed. Transfer the bacon to a plate to cool, keep the drippings in the pan. The slices will crisp/firm up as they cool.

Once cool, chop into small bits/pieces. Pour the drippings into a modded jar or you can use a blender. Add the Dijon, balsamic, Sriracha, sugar, and olive oil. Shake or blend until emulsified and mixed. Season to taste with salt and lots of pepper.

Arrange the watermelon, tomato, and mozzarella on a platter. Spoon the candied bacon dressing all over and top with the reserved candied bacon bits and fresh basil.