Watermelon feta salad: New classic
For a fast and easy warmweather salad on the Fourth of July, it doesn’t get better than watermelon feta.
According to Google Trends, searches for watermelon and feta cheese salads have spiked every July for more than a decade. To taste it is to know why. The distinct and refreshing combo is something I could eat several times a week during watermelon season.
I think it’s safe to call it a new classic.
This salad has so few ingredients, you want each to be the best it can be.
The sweeter the watermelon, the more amazing the salad. You can use large, baby, red or yellow watermelons, whatever is available. Seedless watermelons are easy to find these days, and they make the eating experience so much easier.
If you can chill the watermelon before cutting it, your salad will be good to go. If you start with a room-temperature melon, I recommend chilling the salad before serving.
And if you prefer to make balls with a melon baller instead of dicing the melon, go for it.
Be sure to save any extra for snacking or a watermelon smoothie –- no watermelon waste allowed!
Get the best feta you can find, preferably fresh and not packaged. You can choose from French feta, Greek feta, Bulgarian feta, Lebanese feta… see what your cheese counter has on offer.
Dice or crumble the feta — if you choose crumbling, don’t crumble it too finely. The pleasure of this salad is in the bites of different flavors, so you don’t want them to blend together too much.
Add some mint and red onion: The contrast between the juicy, sweet melon and the crunchy, sharp, peppery onions (not to mention the crumbly, creamy feta) is terrific. Fresh mint ties everything together for some summertime bliss. Mint oxidizes and turns dark quickly after it is cut or torn, so add it just before assembling and serving the salad.
Finally, use a straightforward dressing of olive oil, balsamic or red wine vinegar, and a bit of salt and pepper, if desired. Taste the feta to see how salty it is before you add salt to the dressing.
You can cube or ball the melon up to 2 days ahead of time. Drain off any juice that may have collected in the bottom (and pour it into a glass and