Minty Watermelon, Avocado, and Feta Salad – AKA: The Perfect Poolside Delight
When the weather gets warmer, people tend to prefer lighter fare food-wise. I’ve got some pretty hearty stuff on this site, so here’s a nice, easy, refreshing salad that’s also got a lot of character.
I’ve seen many variations of this type of salad online, but I think I’ve got the ingredients dialed in here to just about where I like ’em.
Serving Size: 4…or 2 Mes
- 5 Cups Watermelon, cubed
- 1 Large Avocado, cubed
- 1 1/4 cup English or Persian Cucumber, sliced
- 1/4 cup Red Onion, diced
- 1/2 Cup Feta Cheese, cubed
- 1/2 cup Mint Leaves, chopped
- 1 Pinch of Salt
- Fresh Ground Pepper to taste
Dressing:
- 2 Tbsp. Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 1 1/2 Tbsp Lime Juice
- 1 1/2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
- 1 Small Garlic Clove, minced (or 1/2 Large Clove)
- 1 Pinch of Salt also
To Begin:
1.) Pick a beautiful, ripe, smallish watermelon, or just go to the store and buy some cut up pieces if you’re feeling lethargic. If choosing option A, cube that splendiferous crimson melon into roughly 1 inch pieces. Do the same with your velvety emerald avocado and admire the beauty that is your handiwork for a short spell.
2.) Now, before said handiwork gets brown, lets move on. There are many ways you can slice (or dice) your cucumbers, but I chose to slice them width-wise and leave them as is. Next, Dice your red onions (although they do appear more chopped in my photos, oh well).
3.) Chop up your mint leaves and throw them and all other ingredients so far into a large mixing bowl, plus add 1 of your pinches of salt on top.
4.) The next step involves the Feta cheese. I like to use whole blocks of Feta in brine as they are the freshest, but if you’ve got crumbled Feta already in the fridge, or are just used to it and set in your ways, use that instead. If using whole Feta, cut into small cubes and set aside until finished.
5.) Next comes the dressing. Some may think the garlic will overpower everything. Well, this is one time that I say less is more as the garlic will be just enough to add some “oomph” without feeling like you went 12 rounds with Mike Tyson in his prime. Mince up your garlic (make it tiny) and squeeze your citrus and add them to a small mixing bowl along with your oil and the second pinch of salt. Swirl them all up good.
6.) Almost there. You always want to keep dry ingredients and wet ingredients separate until you are ready to combine as a whole. Now is that time, so combine everything in the large bowl, plus some fresh ground pepper to finish it out. Mix it all up.
7.) You’ve been waiting to see what was going to happen with the Feta since step 4 huh? Well…I hate to inform you that you’ll just have to wait another moment. First, plate the whole shebang onto your favorite salad plate and spend 15 minutes finding the perfect spot for that one piece of avocado.
Ok, I won’t make you wait any longer. Now you can finally strategically place the Feta on top, and even give the whole thing another twist of the ‘ol pepper grinder if you’re so inclined and presto! You’re done!
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