Greek Watermelon Salad With Feta And Mint

Nothing sings of summer more than watermelon for me. So this super easy watermelon salad with feta and mint is my go to recipe for summer on a plate. It’s fresh and fruity and salty and such a super refreshing salad.

As many of you will know I’m just back from another visit to sunny Crete. At the end of every meal you are given watermelon as an extra treat. I love this refreshing fruit and thought I’d hang on to the flavours of Greece by using it in a salad when I got home.

So here is my watermelon and feta salad which gives me just a little taste of the sunshine and wonders of Crete back here in Scotland….

Watermelon

This amazing summer time fruit is packed with nutrients; There’s potassium, vitamins C, A and B and magnesium too.

So that’s all good for you. throw in the fact that this is a seriously hydrating fruit that boosts your liquid intake with ease and also boosts your fibre intake and really it is a no brainer in the healthy foods stakes.

What are the ingredients for this watermelon salad

There are only 5 ingredients in this delicious watermelon salad recipe;

Watermelon – make sure this is ripe and crisp and hasn’t gone soggy and tasteless as they do once they are past their best.

Feta – this classic Greek cheese is creamy and salty, the perfect foil for the sweet fruity watermelon. You can even make your own homemade feta cheese with my recipe.

Mint leaves – must be fresh mint leaves for this recipe, no dried mint please! The mint adds a wonderful menthol cooling taste to this salad.

Orange zest – not just sweet but that mouth puckering citrus tartness too.

Black sesame seeds – for that little bit of added crunch and flavour.

As we eat with our eyes before we even taste the food this dish is one that tempts the taste buds by colour alone.

Just look at that gorgeous red of the watermelon. It makes the creamy white of the feta seem even brighter.

The bright green of the torn mint leaves adds the perfect contrast and the sprinkling of tiny black sesame seeds and a grating of tangy orange zest makes for a  plate as colourful as any artist’s palate.

Making this salad

This watermelon salad recipe is all about flavour and texture. The salty tang of the creamy soft feta contrasts beautifully with the crisp yet melting texture of the watermelon with it’s juicy sweetness.

The cool bite of the mint and the delicacy of the leaves are a delight to the senses and I like the crunch of the toasted black sesame seeds and the bitter tang of the orange zest.

It is an assembly job more than a recipe. The only cooking involved is toasting the sesame seeds in a dry pan for less than a minute.

This brings out their fabulous flavour and adds even more crunch to your watermelon salad.

Then just plate up the watermelon with the crumbled feta, Add the torn mint leaves and the grated orange zest and finally sprinkle on the toasted sesame seeds.

Salad dressing

The dressing for this simple watermelon salad couldn’t be easier.

All you need to dress this salad is a glug of good olive oil (go Greek if you can), a good sprinkling of freshly ground black pepper (no need for salt here as feta is quite salty in itself) and the juice of the orange you used to make this watermelon salad.

After ten days of over-dosing on watermelon I thought I couldn’t bear to touch another one, but there I was in the supermarket the other day weighing up a green monster and couldn’t resist lugging it home to make this gorgeous watermelon and feta salad.

Just looking at it makes me think of all my favourite places in Crete, the sunshine and warmth, the cool of the crystal clear waters and all my wonderful friends over there.

Memories on a plate. What food brings back memories for you?

Kali Orexi!

Looking for more summery salad recipes to try? Then check these out;

Greek salad with homemade tzatziki

Warm leek salad (prasasalata)

Fresh fig and feta salad with pine nuts

Salad Nicoise with smoked mackerel