I, like most other people I know, love a juicy summer watermelon. It is just so refreshing and delicious! I remember that my grandfather always used to (and probably still does) put salt on his watermelon, which I thought was absolutely crazy. I thought that salt would ruin the sweet taste. Through the years, I’ve come to realize that a lot of people like salty touch with their watermelon. If so many people like salted watermelon, there’s got to be something to it right? And then I realized that the salty watermelon thing was taken to the next step with feta and watermelon salads. This combination is all over Pinterest and summer restaurant menus. And logically, I understand that salt balances sweet and brings out brighter flavors. Yet for some reason, I still never tried it. Well that mistake is over. I didn’t know what I was missing.
The watermelon is still the star of this salad, but it doesn’t taste like just a fruit salad with some feta on top. It’s a little more savory than expected. The mint flavor is strong and makes it nice and herbaceous. Don’t worry about the vinegar on the cucumbers either – it’s not overwhelming at all. Overall a great salad for summer! 😎
Minty Watermelon, Cucumber & Feta Salad
Ingredients:
- 1 cucumber
- ~1/4 cup white wine vinegar
- 5 cups watermelon, chopped
- 3/4 cups feta cheese, diced
- ~10 leaves fresh mint, chopped
- Black pepper
Instructions:
- Peel the cucumber, then slice it length-wise. Scoop out the seeds. Slice into half-moons.
- Marinate the cucumbers in the white wine vinegar, topped with a few turns of fresh ground black pepper, for at least an hour.
- Chop the watermelon into bite-sized chunks. Chop the feta a little smaller, more of a dice (can you dice something that’s not a vegetable??). Tear or chop the mint leaves. Combine all of these in a large bowl.
- Drain the vinegar from the cucumbers. Add the cucumbers in with the rest of the ingredients. Stir to combine.
- Add a little more black pepper to taste.
- Best served immediately.
Bon Appetit Baby! 