- Yield: 2
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 minutes
Watermelon & Feta Salad
For several reasons, I haven't bought watermelons in quite a long time. Mostly they're too big and at least half of it goes bad in my single household. But a couple days ago, Trader Joe's was selling fairly small ones at a good price and I just put one into my shopping cart. And man, am I glad I did. Not only was it pretty much entirely seedless, it was also super sweet and ripe and just watermelon to perfection.
After I made a batch of sparkling rosé watermelon sangria, I was left with another half and wondered what to do with it. So I threw together this little summery salad and it was so good, I need to share it here. I didn't add the basil right away but when I tasted it, I felt like something was missing. And basil was just that. It rounded the flavors out and pulled the entire thing together to one wonderful flavor boosting dish. Give it a try on a hot day!
Ingredients
- Watermelon - 3 cups, about half inch cubes
- Feta Cheese - 1 cup, about half inch cubes
- Cucumber - 1 cup, quarter inch cubes
- Limes - 1-2, juiced
- Basil - 5 - 10 leaves
- Cayenne Pepper - pinch
- Salt, Pepper - to taste
Instructions
- Cut the watermelon into half inch size cubes. You can go as pedantic or rustic as you want to. It doesn't change the flavor of the salad but only its appearance on the plate. Add the cubes into a large mixing bowl.
- Cut the cucumber into small cubes and add to the watermelon in the bowl.
- Add salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper and juice the two limes the watermelon and the cubumber cubes. Stir until everything is nicely coated.
- Carefully cut the feta cheese into same size cubes. Be gentle with the feta or you end up with crumbles which is still good, but not as visually pleasant. Add into the bowl.
- Combine carefully, so the feta doesn't crumble, cover and let sit in the fridge for at least 1 hour for all flavors to mingle.
- Before you serve it, make a basil chiffonade and combine carefully with the salad.
- Serve it as a side dish on a hot summer day. I added some seared salmon, but grilled chicken or steak would work just as great.
