Watermelon And Feta Salad With Mint And Balsamic Lime Drizzle
Watermelon And Feta Salad with Mint and a Balsamic Lime Drizzle is a refreshing, sweet-salty side dish perfect for a family dinner or get-together. This salad is the prettiest and tastiest spin on traditional Watermelon Salad.
Raise your hand if you are a watermelon fan. I see your hands, mine is raised too! Let’s combine watermelon with delicious salty feta cheese, aromatic fresh mint, and a lime balsamic dressing for the freshest salad of the summer season! This is no ordinary Watermelon And Feta Salad, its presentation is beautiful!
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My sister, Lisa, served up this attractive salad last summer, and I loved the presentation and the taste. Most Watermelon And Feta Salads fall apart and get watery when they are stirred up in a bowl and sit for any length of time. This salad serves up just the right proportion of sweet and juicy watermelon with a perfect intact slice of feta. And the real gem of this salad is the scrumptious vinaigrette! It is another thing that makes this salad stand out from all the other Watermelon Feta Salads!
What Is Watermelon Feta Salad
Watermelon Feta Salad is a summer treat. It combines the salty creaminess of feta cheese with the sweet juicy crunch of fresh watermelon. These ingredients are kissed with the zing of a lime balsamic drizzle and sprinkled with mint.
Not all Watermelon Feta Salads are the same. I must admit these salads are not my favorite! Until I was served the salad in a tile! Now it’s a favorite of all our family!
Why We Love This Salad
Watermelon Salad is a summer staple! It’s so refreshing and easy to make. And this watermelon salad does not break apart in a bowl or get mushy. Because the watermelon and feta are cut into squares, they stay intact, and in every bite, you get the perfect watermelon-to-feta ratio! We eat with our eyes, and this salad has such a vibrant color.
What You Need To Make This Salad
How To Choose A Perfectly Ripe Watermelon
Choosing a perfectly ripe watermelon is so important. I know you have probably eaten an underripe, not-so-red watermelon. What a disappointment! We want to choose the ripest and freshest watermelon we can find because watermelon is the star of this side dish!
There are four things to keep in mind when choosing a watermelon.
- Buy In-Season Fruit: It’s the only way to make sure you get the tastiest and freshest watermelon
- Use Your Eyes: a watermelon should be free from bruises, gashes, dents, or cracks. Choose one with smooth skin.
- Check The Ground Spot: Watermelons sit on the ground as they ripen, and the ground spot on a watermelon should be a creamy yellow color. If it is white or any other color, pass it up.
- Choose A Juicy Watermelon: A fresh watermelon is about 92% water, so a fresh juicy watermelon should be heavy for its size. That means it has lots of water content.
TIPS FOR A SUCCESSFUL DISH
Use the freshest ingredients you can find.
Choose Greek-style blocks of feta. I stay away from crumbly feta for this recipe. If the feta is on the creamy side, it will hold up better when you cut it.
One of my best tips is to cut watermelon on a paper towel-lined cutting board. I spread out a double layer of paper towels on my workspace because watermelon is so juicy and messy! When the paper towel gets soaked, throw I it in the trash.
You can make the watermelon and feta squared in any size you want. I cut a watermelon into 2-inch slices. Then I used a 2″ cookie cutter and pressed the cookie cutter through to the other side of the watermelon.
Then cut each 2-inch piece into thirds to make them thinner. So from one 2-inch square, I got three slices.
Put the cut watermelon cubes on a paper towel until you put the salad together.
Be precise but don’t get crazy! Most of my stackable tiles are slightly different sizes, but that’s okay.
If you don’t have a cookie cutter use a sharp knife to cut each cube.
Do the same with the feta.
The recipe for the vinaigrette will make enough for the salad and for extra to use in another recipe.
To Wash Or Not To Wash
You should definitely wash a watermelon before cutting it. Watermelons have been growing on the ground and then handled and shipped to your grocery store and handled some more. Yes, give your watermelon a rinse in clean running water.
Buying The Best Feta
This recipe calls for the block type of feta. Look for the Greek style, as it is the most flavorful. If feta is not your favorite, look for a few other cheeses that work well with this recipe in the variation section of this blog.
How To Make Watermelon Feta Salad With Mint And Lime Balsamic Drizzle
How To Make The Balsamic Lime Vinaigrette
This is such an easy vinaigrette to make. When drizzled on top of the watermelon, it adds another delicious and complex zingy sweet note to the salad.
Balsamic Lime Vinaigrette is my new favorite recipe. It has a mild zesty sweet taste that does wonderful things to bring out the best in the watermelon and feta.
This recipe uses simple ingredients from the pantry and refrigerator:
Add all the ingredients to a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake until all the ingredients are incorporated.
This salad dressing tastes delicious on other salads and makes a versatile marinade for fish or chicken. It also can be used as a finishing sauce for pasta, potatoes, and rice dishes.
Can I Make This Recipe Ahead
This salad is best eaten right away, but you can cut the feta and watermelon a few hours ahead of time. And you can make the vinaigrette up to a couple days before. Put everything in the refrigerator to cool. Take the vinaigrette out of the refrigerator an hour before you use it so the ingredients can come to room temperature and be shaken together to mix.
Can I Refrigerate The Leftovers
You can. Crumble the feta, cut the watermelon into smaller chunks, and put them together in a bowl with a tight-fitting lid. Add more dressing to coat the salad. It should last a day or two.
Our Favorite
Salad Recipes
Salad Variations
Why not try a few variations for your Watermelon Feta Salad? Here are some of my favorite ingredients to add…
- thinly sliced red onion arranged around the platter
- one paper-thin sliced cucumber on top of the watermelon square
- on thinly sliced daikon watermelon radish on top of the watermelon square
- black sesame seeds lightly sprinkled on top of everything
- if you are not a feta fan, try ricotta salata, brie or mozzarella
Watermelon Feta Salad With Mint And Balsamic Lime Vinaigrette
Ingredients
Salad Ingredients
- 1-2 8 oz packages Greek style feta cheese
- 1 in-season, ripe watermelon
Vinaigrette
- 2 TBS fresh squeezed lime juice
- 2 TBS white balsamic vinegar
- 1-2 TBS honey
- 6 TBS olive oil I use light olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Topping
- 1-2 TBS finely chopped spearmint
- flaked sea salt to taste like Moldon
Instructions
For The Salad
- Cut a watermelon into 2-inch slices.
- Cut or use a square cookie cutter to cut each slice into cubes. Then cut each cube horizontally in half or thirds. Set aside on paper towels.
- Cut the feta into the same shape and size as the watermelon. Cut them horizontally so they are about the same thickness as the watermelon.
- Make 16 watermelon and 16 feta cubes.
Balsamic Lime Vinaigrette
- Put all the ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake to incorporate.
Assembly
- Put all the feta cubes on a large platter in four rows of four.
- Put one watermelon cube on top of each feta square.
- Drizzle with vinaigrette.
- Sprinkle with mint and flaked sea salt.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can watermelon be frozen?
Yes, but once it is frozen, use it like you would an ice cube in a drink or to make a smoothie. Frozen watermelon does not thaw and keep its integrity.
What pairs well with Watermelon salad?
Grilled food pairs wonderfully with Watermelon Feta Salad. The freshness and coolness of the salad counters the char and heat of grilled food.
What kind of fruit is watermelon?
Watermelon is the largest seed-bearing fruit. It is a member of the Cucurbitaceae family. Other vegetables in this group are cucumbers, summer squash, zucchini, winter squash, and pumpkin, to name a few.
Yvonne, This summer salad is beautiful but honestly a bit to time consuming for me to make. I may try doing watermelon balls and squares or balls of soft feta. The dressing sounds delicious for any kind of fruit salad.
The dresssing if really delicious. I hope you will give it a try.
Yum! This sounds delicious! I love watermelon and feta. Blessings to you.
Thanks Renae, it is yummy!