NOTHING says summer quite like ripe, juicy, red slices of watermelon. I’ve eaten watermelon my entire life, but I first ate it with feta or Bulgarian cheese on a visit to the YMCA in Jerusalem about 8 years ago. It was a revelation. The salty tang of the cheese was the perfect foil for the sweet, juicy melon. It wasn’t on any menu – you just had to know to ask for it. Ever since that fateful meal, I have been combining the two ingredients. It really doesn’t take anything more than a drizzle of a good olive oil, but tonight I decided to add some fresh chopped mint and chives from my terrace garden along with a good squeeze of fresh lime juice and a drizzle of a fruity EVOO. Add the oil and lime juice just before serving for simply the most refreshing summer salad ever! While I have included measurements, I honestly just eye-ball everything. So don’t get too bogged down and use the measurements as a guideline only.
Watermelon and Feta Salad
Yield: 4 servings
Ingredients
6 cups of watermelon, without the rind and cut into large cubes
7 ounces of feta or Bulgarian cheese (Feta is ubiquitous and is very close to Bulgarian cheese.)
About 1/4 cup of fresh mint leaves, cut into ribbons
About 2 Tablespoons of chopped fresh chives
About 10 cracks of fresh black pepper
Sprinkling of sea salt or Kosher salt (The feta is fairly salty on its own, but I found that just a sprinkling of additional salt was needed to make everything sing.)
Juice of one lime
About 2-3 Tablespoons of a fruity EVOO
Directions
- Place the watermelon, feta, mint, chives and black pepper in a bowl.
- Just before serving, add the lime juice, salt and EVOO. Toss gently.
