A picnic spread with a platter of watermelon, burrata and chili crisp.

Watermelon and Burrata Salad with Chili Crisp

Odds are you had one of two reactions when you read this title. Either you’re a fan of chili crisp and are incredibly intrigued by this recipe, or you have no idea what it is. I mean, I guess it’s possible that you’ve had chili crisp and aren’t a fan. But excitement or utter confusion seem likelier here. To clear up any confusion, chili crisp is a Chinese condiment made by infusing oil with dried red chiles, fried garlic, shallots, and ginger. Ingredients may differ based on the brand or recipe you use. For instance, some use Sichuan peppers, which have a numbing effect. I think it’s safe to say that most chili crisps are spicy, fragrant, and have a wonderful crunch.

Ben and I have been dumping chili crisp on everything lately. One thing we’ve learned is that it complements rich, fatty foods really nicely. To be clear, this wasn’t our discovery. In China you can get vanilla soft serve topped with chili crisp! In fact, we tried it on vanilla ice cream and thought the combination worked beautifully. I started to wonder what else we could eat it with, and burrata popped into my head. Burrata’s creamy texture and rich flavor just felt like it would pair really well with chili crisp. To round out this dish, I decided to add a fruit. I landed on watermelon because a bit of sweetness felt like it would be a welcome addition. The result was an absolute flavor bomb.

I’ll be honest – this isn’t the sort of thing you’d want to eat a ton of. So like, maybe don’t plan to eat it for a full meal. It’d be perfect for a bbq or a potluck, though! Or to serve as an appetizer for a group of people. Thankfully, gatherings are starting to become safe again, just in time for summer.

Do I need to use a specific brand of chili crisp?

Nope! My favorite is Zindrew crunchy garlic chili oil – OG batch, so that’s what I used. It’s super garlicky, which I love. It also doesn’t have mala, or that numbing sensation I described earlier. I’m a huge fan of this one and highly recommend it if you’re new to chili crisp. If you’ve got a favorite chili crisp, however, go ahead and use that!

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Watermelon and Burrata Salad with Chili Crisp

Course Appetizer, Salad
Keyword burrata, chili crisp, potluck, salad, watermelon, Watermelon and Burrata Salad with Chili Crisp

Ingredients

  • 3 cups Roughly chopped watermelon
  • 2 balls Burrata cheese
  • 2 tbsp Chili crisp (Or to taste)
  • 1 Lime
  • A pinch Flaky sea salt (Regular is fine if you don't have that)

Instructions

  • Add the chopped watermelon to a platter or serving dish/bowl. Top with burrata, followed by chili crisp. Squeeze the juice of one lime onto the dish, and finish with a pinch of flaky sea salt.

And that’s it! Easiest flavor bomb ever. If you make this, I really hope you love it. Regardless, I’d love to hear what you thought in the comments or on Instagram!

Looking for more summer dishes? Check out these minty roasted cherry limeade coconut popsicles or this summer harvest caprese salad!

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