Recipe: Greek Watermelon and Feta Salad

Watermelon, feta, olive oil, and mint. This is a true four-ingredient salad—it doesn’t even need the addition of salt and pepper, the brine from the feta and a good pepper olive oil take care of that.

I first had this salad in college at cookouts hosted by my Greek and Cypriot friends. They’d grill big chunks of lamb souvlaki until crisp and charred and serve it alongside cucumbers, tomatoes, and a watermelon and feta salad. Later on, in the early 2000s, the flavor combination became very trendy on fancy restaurant menus, including the ones I worked at.

The magic of the salad is the way the saltiness of the feta cheese and the subtle sweetness of the watermelon complement each other so simply and perfectly, while the mint and the olive oil round out the flavors and aromas.

I always like to taste a piece of the watermelon before making the salad, The sweeter it is, the more salt I like to add to the salad to balance it out. Some folks like to add a pinch of kosher salt or fancy sea salt. I just dip my fingertips in the brine and sprinkle it on the melon. It adds saltiness and a little bit of tangy feta funk.

Don’t feel bound by the four ingredients! I like adding things like chili crisp and fried shallots, or lemon zest and extra ground black pepper, or thinly sliced jalapeños and pickled onions. As long as the balance of acidity and saltiness and sweetness is not greatly affected, it'll work. 

Ingredients:

A few thin slices or cubes of watermelon

About half as much feta cheese, by weight, cumbled or thinly sliced

Torn mint leaves

Extra-virgin olive oil

Freshly grated lemon zest (optional)

1. Layer watermelon and feta cheese on a plate or in a bowl. Garnish with torn mint leaves. Drizzle with olive oil. Sprinkle with lemon zest. Eat.