This Watermelon, Feta and Mint Salad is a taste of summer! It is so pretty with the bright red watermelon, creamy feta and the cool green mint. What a flavor combination! What a show-stopper!
The sweetness of the juicy watermelon, the creamy-salty Feta and minty taste of this salad is so refreshing and light and it is almost like a dessert.
Although you can buy watermelon all through the year they just taste better in the summer time. Did you know that there is now a yellow watermelon on the market? I recently tasted a sample of one in the Farmer’s Market and it tasted…..just like a red watermelon! ?
We are using a seedless watermelon but it still has seeds. Isn’t that an oxymoron? The seeds are smallish, soft and white and they are edible. I wonder if there will ever be a true “seedless” watermelon.
How do you make Watermelon, Feta and Mint Salad?
There are only five ingredients in this amazing salad:
- Watermelon
- Greek Feta cheese
- Mint
- Lemon juice
- Olive oil
I love the sweetness of a ripe, bright red watermelon and this six-pound baby was a good buy at Trader Joe’s. It is so disappointing to buy a watermelon, cut it open and find it is grainy or mushy. This watermelon is crisp, sweet and perfect! I used only half of the melon for the salad and I know the other half will quickly disappear.
When buying Greek feta cheese you can choose tubs of crumbles, small blocks in sealed packages or cut blocks swimming in a brine. Go for the best! It is the Greek feta cheese swimming in the brine, it will be the best in flavor and texture. Greek feta cheese is made from sheep’s milk or a combination of sheep and cow’s milk. It is creamy, salty and has a bit of a tangy taste.
If you shop in a store that has a deli or olive/pickle bar they will probably have Greek feta cheese. You will find this snowy white cheese submerged in a salty brine. Be sure to take enough of the brine to keep it covered until ready to use. You can easily crumble it or cut it into small cubes.
Mint is a welcome addition to this watermelon, feta and mint salad, you can use more or less according to your personal taste. I like lots of mint! It adds a cool punch of flavor that compliments the sweet and creamy. Plus it brightens up the salad with the bits of green. To keep the mint from discoloring tear the leaves into pieces rather than cutting them with a knife.
Bringing it all together:
We are keeping it simple. Lemon wedges squeezed on individual servings with a drizzle of really good Extra-Virgin olive oil…or the best olive oil you have available. Use a microplane and grate feta over the top of each serving of salad. Garnish with an additional sprig of mint. Enjoy!
This is easily adapted by adding sliced Kalamata olives, thin slices of red onion and even chunks of crisp English Cucumber. Also, replacing the lemon juice with a thick balsamic vinegar drizzle is fantastic! This is such an easy, refreshing salad you may just be making it often through out the summer.
More Recipes You Will Love
- Greek Salad: The traditional Greek Salad (Horiatiki) is a variety of bright, crunchy, flavorful fresh vegetables with creamy feta cheese with a simple oil/red wine vinegar dressing.
- Heirloom Tomato Salad: A summery tomato salad with aged goat cheese combines the flavors of juicy, creamy, crunchy, salty and spicy that all compliment each other deliciously.
- Grapefruit, Mint and Fennel Salad: Bright ruby-red Texas grapefruit star in this refreshing salad along with fresh mint, crunchy fennel, onion rings and salty roasted pistachios. It is tossed with a vinaigrette of citrus, honey and rice vinegar.
Watermelon, Feta and Mint Salad
Ingredients
- 8 cups of watermelon cubes cut into 1-inch pieces about 2 pounds of cubes
- 6 ounces feta cheese cut into small cubes
- 1/2 cup fresh mint leaves torn into small pieces
- 2 fresh lemons cut into wedges
- 6 tablespoons of EV olive oil
Instructions
- Add the watermelon chunks, cheese cubes and mint to a large bowl and toss to combine.
- Portion onto individual salad plates. Squeeze a lemon wedge and a drizzle a spoonful of olive oil on each serving.
- Grate a ‘snow’ of feta cheese on each serving as a garnish.
- Add a sprig of fresh mint to each serving.
Notes
- This salad does not keep well and should be consumed as soon as possible after it is made.
- Greek feta cheese has a salty taste because it bathes in a salty brine solution. You may not need additional salt in the salad.
- The feta cheese can be either cubed or crumbled.
- To keep the mint from discoloring tear the leaves into pieces rather than cutting them with a knife.
- This is easily adapted by adding sliced Kalamata olives, thin slices of red onion and even chunks of crisp English Cucumber.
- Also, replacing the lemon juice with a thick balsamic vinegar drizzle is fantastic!
