Watermelon Feta Salad with Mint

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A five-minute, no-cook summer salad that looks like you tried. Sweet watermelon, salty feta, fresh mint, and a simple lime dressing. It's the combination that surprises you once and then earns a permanent spot on your summer rotation.

Prep Time10

Total Time10

Course: Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: American, Mediterranean

Servings: servigns

Calories: 166kcal

Cost: $8–12

Ingredients

6 cups cubed seedless watermelon cold
6 oz block feta cheese crumbled by hand
¼ cup fresh mint leaves thinly sliced
2-3 tablespoons red onion very thinly sliced
2 tablespoons good olive oil
Juice of 1 lime
1 teaspoon lime zest
Flaky sea salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste

Instructions

Soak the sliced red onion in cold water for 5–10 minutes, then drain well.
Cube the watermelon into bite-sized pieces and drain off any excess juice.
Crumble the feta by hand into irregular pieces.
Stack the mint leaves, roll, and thinly slice.
In a wide, shallow bowl, combine the watermelon, feta, mint, and red onion.
Whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, and lime zest. Drizzle over the salad just before serving.
Finish with flaky salt and black pepper. Serve immediately.

Notes

Buy a block, not a tub. Pre-crumbled feta is coated in cellulose powder that turns chalky in salads. A fresh block crumbled by hand tastes noticeably better.

Don't skip the onion soak. Five to ten minutes in cold water takes the harsh edge off without losing the flavor.

Dress at the last minute. Salt draws water out of the watermelon fast. A beautiful salad becomes a puddle if it sits dressed for long.

No leftovers plan needed. This salad doesn't keep. Watermelon weeps overnight and the whole thing turns to juice. Make what you'll serve.

Pick a ripe watermelon. Heavy for its size, with a creamy yellow patch on the bottom. Pale white means it was picked too early.

Nutrition