This refreshing Watermelon Feta Salad with Mint is perfect for summer. Sweet ripe watermelon salad combined with feta cheese and fresh mint is simply dressed with olive oil and lime juice. It’s a sweet-and-salty combination that looks just beautiful on the table for a backyard cookout, a potluck, or even a Sunday brunch!
My husband loves watermelon salad. During the summer, one of his favorite snacks is freshly sliced chilled watermelon with crumbly slices of feta. The saltiness of the cheese is a perfect compliment to the cool sweetness of the watermelon. He introduced me to the flavor combination, and now I’m hooked, too. Nothing says summer like fresh watermelon and feta!
A few weeks ago we had some friends over for dinner. The weather was just starting to warm up, so we decided to make it an outdoor dinner in our back yard. As I grocery shopped for the meal, my mind was on all the summery foods we’ve been missing. I browsed the produce section and noticed that ripe seedless watermelons were on sale. Of course, my mind went to watermelon and feta! I decided to create a simple summer salad with seedless watermelon chunks, crumbled feta cheese, fresh mint, and a homemade lime juice dressing.
After a little experimentation with the dressing, this is what I came up with! The salty citrus dressing really brings out the flavor of the watermelon, the mint is refreshing, and the feta adds a perfect touch of creaminess. Even those of you who don’t like sweet, fruity salads may appreciate this one– the flavor is truly unique.
It was a big hit with our friends, and I’m guessing it will be making regular appearances on our summer menu. It would might just be the perfect side-salad for your 4th of July barbecue. Hope you enjoy it as much as we did!
If at all possible, try to find goat or sheep’s milk feta– preferably the larger chunks sold in delis or cheese markets. I personally prefer the flavor of block feta to pre-crumbled feta. Enjoy!
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Food Photography and Styling by Kelly Jaggers
Watermelon Feta Salad
Ingredients
- 8 pounds whole seedless watermelon, chilled (about 12 cups of cubed fruit)
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 3 whole limes, juiced
- 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
- 3/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
- 1 1/2 cups crumbled feta cheese (sheep’s milk feta preferred)
Instructions
- Note: This salad is best made just prior to serving. Prepare one hour or less before your meal.Cut rind from the watermelon, then chop the fruit into 1 inch chunks. Place chunks in a colander to drain as your chop.
- In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, fresh lime juice, salt, and black pepper to create a dressing.
- Place watermelon in a large salad bowl. Pour dressing and chopped mint over the watermelon and toss gently to coat. Pour the crumbled feta into the salad bowl and stir gently to integrate the cheese into the salad. Serve.
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Nutrition
Try a bit of Honey in the dressing. Only Greek Feta. If you are in any major city look for Hreek specialty stores. They all carry the original Greek Feta brands. Sheep milk feta is in “Dodoni” or “Arahova” are Great brands. In NY go to Titan or Mediterranean in Astoria
Well technically by (EU) law you can only call it feta if it is Greek – in the US though most of the imported “gets” is Danish
As for the try to get goat or sheep gets – I checked all of the packages at my local shop- they are all sheep which is the way it should be in my opinion
Very thinly sliced red onion is also a great addition!
This is the best batchelor salad ever. I never knew what to take to picnics and potlucks except beer. Now I look like I have some skill in the kitchen. It was super easy and everyone loved it.
My new crack. That is all.
It would help if you added how many cups of watermelon – not just a 7-8LB melon.
I was going to make a smaller portion but have no idea how to cut down the recipe.
Hi Joan! There are approx 3 cups per lb of watermelon. It’s not going to be exact since the cube size makes a big difference, but I’m also cutting this down for a small get together.
Joan, you might be giving the recipe portions a bit too much weight or not giving yourself enough credit. The recipe is to mix watermelon chunks with feta, lime juice, and chopped mint. You don’t really need to measure stuff. You probably have enough cooking experience that you know how to eyeball a salad and get the proportions the way you think would test best.
Made this yesterday for a party. One of my guests said – “it is da bomb” Everyone loved it. Thanks to you Tori, I received so many compliments. In fact, I am making it again today.
Tory, you can get sheep milk feta from Israel at Trader Joes, and it is relatively inexpensive. Thank you for all your wonderful recipes.
Sorry, I misspelled your name, my fingers are faster than my eyes.
No worries Kathy! I’m not sure if Trader Joe’s carries it, they very well might. Goat’s milk feta is also good, or just regular feta if you can’t find a reasonably-priced sheep or goat feta. Whatever you choose, try your best to find a block of feta (I think Trader Joe’s does one in brine/water) rather than the pre-crumbled variety, the flavor will be much better. Enjoy!
Thanks a million for this!!! Made it tonight. I will make it tomorrow too. Probably every day until the watermelon runs out. Thanks so much!!!!!
Glad you like it Angie! It is a summer favorite of ours.
Just in time! I have all the ingredients, gonna try this.
Yum
Yeah I was making this salad years ago at the Phoenician water melon thinly sliced jalapeños chiffinade mint and basil agave nector feta cheeses a pinch of salt and champagne vin good stuff great for summer BBQ
I have 2 friends in Greece right now – separate trips. It’s not making me want to go any less!
I love this salad. We eat it at least once a month in our home, which has watermelon ALWAYS in the refrigerator during the season.
Watermelon is a squash, after all. But don’t bake it.
How about trying a watermelon mojito YUM
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I’m not a big fan of lime. Would lemon taste good?
Elayne lemon will work– start with one small lemon juiced, then add more to taste. It’s a bit more potent/tart than lime, so add until the flavor’s right.
Think this is something I’m doing for Memorial day. Had the watermelon and this looks better than just plain!
Added blueberries for July 4th last year so that it was red, white, and blue.
If you use balsamic vinegar get the clear/white kind so it doesn’t get all funky looking by the darker vinegar.
This looks SOOOO good, especially this time of the year! Printing…. ! 🙂