In hot climates, you learn how to refresh yourself, inside and out. There’s nothing more revitalizing than our traditional sweet and savory salad, made of arguably two of our country's very best ingredients, the legendary feta cheese and watermelon ('karpouzi" in Greek). Any party table would be lucky to have this fancy yet simple dish slap, bang, center.
It’s so easy to make that even if you don’t like cooking it’s pretty much a must. It takes moments to put together but the results are deeply nutritious. Select a medium-intensity Extra Virgin Olive Oil to enhance all the flavors present in the ingredients. Oh, and also, best to only prepare this 1h before eating it.
Watermelon, Mint, and Greek Feta Salad Ingredients
To bring this vibrant salad to life, you will need the following key ingredients:
Watermelon: The ultimate summer fruit! Watermelon is the unmistakable star of this dish. It’s a delicious way to hydrate while loading up on powerful antioxidants.
Greek feta cheese: This sharp, tangy cheese perfectly balances out the light, fresh fruit. It also adds a really awesome creamy element to the salad.
Cucumber: Cucumber adds some crunch and wonderful flavor to this salad.
Fresh mint: Watermelon’s best friend! This herb pairs wonderfully with the rest of our ingredients and really brightens up the dish. If I have fresh basil on hand as well, I’ll also add a few tablespoons of chopped basil because basil and mint are the peanut butter and jelly of the herb world.
Lime juice: The acidity in the lime juice brightens and enhances the rest of our fresh flavors, making them even more delicious.
Extra Virgin Olive Oil: A big glug of extra virgin olive oil adds richness and extra nutrition to your watermelon, mint, and feta salad. I would recommend a medium-intensity bitter & spicy EVOO of Koroneiki, Manaki or Kolovi variety.
3 cups of chopped watermelon (about 1 small watermelon, rind removed and cubed)
1.5 cups chopped cucumber
2 ounces fresh Feta cheese, cut into bite-sized squares (about 1/2 cup)
1–2 tablespoons finely chopped (or chiffonade cut) fresh mint leaves (from about 8 mint leaves); plus 5-6 basil leaves, torn or chiffonade cut, if you have any
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from 1-2 fresh limes)
1.5 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil (1 glug around the bowl)
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper (about 2 spins from a fresh pepper grinder)
Watermelon, Mint, And Greek Feta Salad Recipe
INSTRUCTIONS
Chop all of the ingredients into big chunks. See the photo on this post for how it should look.
Toss watermelon chunks, chopped cucumbers, feta cheese, and mint into a large bowl, then add fresh lime juice, EVOO, and toss. Top with sea salt and some freshly ground black pepper and serve it up.
Serve cold and enjoy!
Source: Elizabeth Rider