Watermelon Feta Salad
What could be more refreshing for a picnic than a simple watermelon salad?
After two failed attempts, I’ve decided to give up.
Who fails at grilling something as simple as fish? Grilled fresh fish is one of my favorite summertime, beachside eats, particularly small, fresh, whole fish like sardines. I’ve had them many times while on vacation and when I saw them available at the fish counter yesterday I was excited to bring some of the Mediterranean into my kitchen, especially since Mother Nature had the warm weather covered. I wasn’t going to have a beachside setting but I thought my backyard swimming pool would be a decent substitute. There’s nothing like fresh fish hot off the grill, needing only to be finished with a squeeze of fresh lemon juice, a sprinkling of salt and pepper and maybe a glass of rosé to wash it down with.
But I can’t seem to keep the fish intact while grilling it. The skin stuck to the grill and while they cooked just fine they weren’t pretty at all. My husband had them for dinner and I was so disappointed that I declared defeat and skipped them altogether.
It’s a good thing the summertime-food category is a wide-ranging one. Grilled vegetables and meats are just one of many options and if one considers the sub-category of picnic food the options become ever wider. This month’s Blogger C.L.U.E. Society theme was picnic food and naturally, salads and sandwiches were the first to come to mind.
I had the pleasure of being assigned to a lovely blog, Anna Dishes. Anna has been blogging for over five years and has managed to create a very nice collection of recipes while sharing some of her travels in between. One post in particular caught my eye–her recap of her visit to Sitges, Spain. Sitges is a beautiful beach town a short train ride from Barcelona and I haven’t known other people who have ever been there, until now. It was an immediate connection for me and a sign that I would find many recipes in her blog that would catch my eye.
The search didn’t take long, though. As soon as I saw Anna’s recipe for Watermelon Salad I knew it would be the one. The scorching temperatures had a lot to do with my decision and a large serving of chilled watermelon, feta and mint tossed in a little olive oil, honey and fresh lime juice seemed like the perfect way to beat the heat. With no cooking required there was no risk of failure (unlike the sardines)–only a promise of one refreshing bite after another. The only liberties I took were to add cucumber and lime. I love how fresh lime juice brightens the flavors of fresh fruit and the cucumber was for some textural contrast. The salty feta balanced nicely with the light touch of honey and the sweetness of the watermelon. The mint is more than just a garnish, too. It brings everything together.
This salad managed to dull the sting of disappointment after my failed grilled sardines, perking up not only my taste buds but my spirits, too. Thanks, Anna!
Here are more recipes from Anna’s blog that caught my eye:
1. Roasted Garlic, Caramelized Onions and Gorgonzola Crostini
2. Lemon-Strawberry Glazed Bundt Cake
3. Blue Cheese and Bacon Potato Salad
Watermelon Feta Salad
Ingredients
- Watermelon cubed
- Feta cheese cubed
- Cucumber cubed
- Olive oil
- Fresh lime juice
- Honey
- Fresh mint leaves chiffonade (about 5-8 large mint leaves for 5-6 cups salad)
- See Note about Measurements
Instructions
-
Stir together equal parts olive oil, honey and fresh lime juice (see note). In a large bowl, toss together the watermelon, cucumber, feta along with the combined liquid ingredients. Best kept chilled until ready to serve. Toss in the mint right before serving.
Recipe Notes
Use the proportion of watermelon, feta and cucumber based on your preference. For about 4-6 cups of the mixture, I used equal parts olive oil, honey and lime juice. I combined roughly one-two teaspoons each of the liquid ingredients.
Check out the rest of this month’s picnic-themed recipes:
- (Almost) Nancy’s Chopped Salad w/ Oregano Vinaigrette by Heather from girlichef
- Apple Chips by Lauren from Sew You Think You Can Cook
- Barbecue Chicken Salad w/ Smoky Barbecue Vinaigrette by Kate from Kate’s Kitchen
- California Quinoa Greek Salad;by Christiane from Taking on Magazines
- Carrot Cake Cookies by Kathy from Bakeaway with Me
- Chicken Salad w/ Peanut Dressing by Azmina from Lawyer Loves Lunch
- Chicken Waldorf Salad by Aly from Cooking in Stilettos
- Duck with Pear Wraps + Limeade with Chia Seeds by Kelli from Kelli’s Kitchen
- Fried Apple Pies by Liz from That Skinny Chick Can Bake
- Green Bean & Corn Salad by Alice from A Mama, Baby and Shar-pei in the Kitchen
- Loaded Baked Potato Salad by Lea Ann from Cooking on the Ranch
- Minty Cardinal Punch by Christy from Confessions of a Culinary Diva
- Mushroom Parmesan Muffins by Kate from Kate’s Kitchen
- Oatmeal Peanut Butter Date Cookies by Rebekah from Making Miracles
- Olive Sables by Lisa from Authentic Suburban Gourmet
- Puff Pastry Antipasto Squares by Anna from annaDishes
- Smoky Pimento Cheese Spread by Debra from Eliot’s Eats
- Sweet and Spicy Barbecue Baked Beans + Chickenburger Roll-in-a-Basket by Kathy from A Spoonful of Thyme
- Thomas Keller’s Chocolate Chip Cookies by Kim from Liv Life
- Tuscan Bean Salad by Stacy from Food Lust People Love
- Watermelon Feta Salad by Jean from Lemons and Anchovies
- White Bean, Bacon and Rosemary Salad by Wendy from A Day in the Life on the Farm
- Christy from Confessions of a Culinary Diva
A perfect summer salad. Great choice for a picnic theme.
Refreshing, summery and delicious! A great combination of flavours.
Cheers,
Rosa
My goodness! I love how the sweetness of the watermelon and the pungent-ness of the feta would taste together! YUM!
SO gorgeous and perfect on a hot summerish day! Love how simple this recipe is—I know I’d gravitate to it at any party! I stink at grilling fish, too. Wonder if trying the sardines on a cedar plank would work any better? I have a feeling I’d be pulling the skin off while removing them from the board. Wish I had an answer for us both 🙂
I’ll have to try your idea sometime, Liz. My way didn’t work at all!
I understand your frustration….I too will just give up on a dish and select something else to soothe the nerves and have success! Watermelon is so refreshing. It is the perfect choice when the weather turns scorching….107 here on Monday…yuck!
One of my all time favorite salads!! I think it has something to do with the salty feta and the sweet watermelon. Not sure, but whatever it is, it’s perfection!
I have a few failures myself… tomato sauce is the first that comes to mind. I have simply given up making fresh tomato sauce. Even with gorgeous fresh from the market heirloom tomatoes. It just never comes out quite right. I have given in to the jar.
Lovely salad Jean!
Kim, you’re not alone. I used to have a lot of trouble with tomato sauce, too. I completely understand. 🙂
A beautiful and summery salad…perfect for a picnic or dinner on the deck! Lovely photos!
Great choice Jean for a picnic – cool, refreshing and delicious! Love, love your photos and loved the post you did on FB about the light and hubby assisting. Don’t we have great hubbies! We seriously need to plan a date to get together – miss you!!
I know! We need to get together soon! I was thinking about it this week. Let’s put something on the calendar! 🙂
I would definitely pile my plate high with this salad if it was at a picnic I was attending. You’re right about it being refreshing! I’m sorry about the fish cooking too…bad sardines, bad!
your styling is fantastic AND I absolutely adore this salad on Anna’s blog and love that you enjoyed it too! : )
Alice, thanks so much! 🙂
Grilling fish is definitely a tricky feat – but I’m all about this beautiful salad. Show this off while eating the fish behind the camera ;).
I LOVE that you have been to Sitges, I’ve never met anyone else that knows about it either. It was such a lovely place and I hope to go back soon. Your salad is gorgeous, and I am definitely going to have to try it with the lime, yum! Absolutely perfect for a picnic.
This looks like summer in a bowl – so beautiful and fresh!
The babies love watermelon and cheese! I wonder if they’d be in to this fancy and delicious salad? Challenge accepted!
I grew up eating feta and watermelon together. This is so nostalgic to me! Beautiful salad!
What a delicious beautiful summer salad, love this!
Jean,
I finally have a grill that gets hot enough for me to be successful, and big enough to hold my pizza stone. Happy dance here. I am in no way a grillmaster, but brushing the food with oil & a sprinkle of salt before putting on the hot grill helps me with the fish I’ve tried. Then again, I have not tried fresh sardines yet. I’d love to.
This salad looks very refreshing–I love the addition of cucumber because I’m always looking for ways to tuck cucumbers into something other than a pickle jar. I love pickles, don’t get me wrong, but I can only pickle and eat so many!
Thanks!
Thanks for the tips, Kirsten. I’m no grill master either and truthfully, would rather leave the task to other people. Will have to try your way next time. 🙂
When I grill fish straight on the grill it often sticks as well. I hate that! My husband recently found a grilling basket that you can put the fish filets in and they don’t stick to the grill so we now use that! See if you can find one and try it out. On a separate note this is the perfect salad for a summer backyard BBQ. I have to try it!
Sorry to hear about the sardines but your hubby is so sweet to still enjoy it. I think this gorgeous salad more than made up for it! Love it’s simplicity and yet with a lot of fresh flavors!
Such a pretty, summery salad. I could live on this as the temps rise!
I love the mix of sweet and salty in this delicious salad. So refreshing for summer!
An absolutely beautiful salad. Perfect for summertime and picnic season!
I love watermelon and feta together! Such an amazing summer combination.
I have made something similar but yours looks better!
Yum, this was on of my favourite salads this Summer:)
I have just never tried it with a cucumber I used to use
a red (purple) onion instead. It is delicious but will try yours as well 🙂
xx
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