Watermelon Salad with Feta Cheese and Mint

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Watermelon Salad with Feta Cheese and Mint, it’s fresh, it’s sweet and it’s perfect as a side to any Summer dish. It’s few in ingredients and high in Summer vibe. Quick and easy, yummy and just a little bit cheesy.

When Summer arrives, we’re keen on lighter meals, fresher ingredients – and watermelon! Watermelon is probably the staple food when people think of Summer food. And this is the perfect fresh side kick to any Summer garden party or BBQ. Another favorite are these Vietnamese summer rolls with mango and a luscious peanut sauce!

How to Cut and Peel a Watermelon

There are no right or wrong answer here. If you can get the skin and white rind off, you are good to go, any way you do it. How I peel a watermelon is to first chop a thin slice off the top and bottom to make it sturdier.

Then I use a sharp knife and run it down the sides, while holding the watermelon in place. When you cut the top off you can easily see where the rind is, and cut down following the curves of the watermelon. 

The knife takes most of it, but there might be still a bit of white rind. This is quite bitter on not really tasty so we want it off. I like to use a vegetable peeler to remove this.

Chop it into any size you want, I chopped mine into roughly 3/4 inch cubes. And now it should be completely naked and ready for your delicious watermelon salad with feta and mint!

Feta Cheese in Watermelon Salad

I’ve seen tons of watermelon salads using queso fresco. This is just not something you find in Norwegian grocery stores, although you could make your own. I did make my own, but I have no photos for it. It was good, it tasted very milky, and very mild. Here’s the recipe I tried. Although you could perfectly well make queso fresco and add it to this watermelon salad, but it takes forever to make (and it took way longer than the recipe states). And honestly, I think feta cheese works better.

Feta cheese gives it a little more punch. You shouldn’t use a lot of it, as I think the watermelon still should be the star, but the feta cheese should be the funny side kick.

Leftover Watermelon Salad Ideas

I honestly had an inception moment with this watermelon salad. I made an 8 servings watermelon salad for 2 people. Yes, I did have leftovers, no matter how delicious it is. 

What did I do with the leftovers? I added them to a salad! So it became a perfect Summer watermelon salad salad. I used it as the sweet AND cheesy components of the salad, served with some delicious spinach and arugula, avocado and sliced red onions. Seriously, yummm! I may very well need to dedicate another recipe for that watermelon salad salad. 

If you don’t mind a little feta cheese in your smoothie, I would definitely blend it and drink it on a warm Summer day! Just add a little extra water and lime juice if you feel like it needs it.

The best way however, is to omit the feta cheese in the large serving bowl, and just sprinkle on top of each individual plate. If you have any leftovers, it would be perfect for both sweet and savory dishes. My very favorite way to use leftover watermelon salad is in this super fresh watermelon limeade!

Watermelon Salad Recipe with Feta and Mint

Mix cubed watermelon, mint and crumbled feta cheese in a bowl, sprinkle with sea salt and drizzle over some honey and lime juice. It couldn’t be made any easier! Enjoy this out in the sun.

This fresh watermelon salad could also be eaten on its own. It’s a perfect thirst quencher. It’s rehydration on a warm sunny day, and when you’re out on picnics or even during winter time when you want to pretend it’s Summer.

Have a great Summer, everyone!

What’s your plans this Summer?

Other Summery treats:

• Tropical Mango Pineapple Smoothie
• Lilac Lemon Cupcakes (+ Lilac Sugar and Lilac Syrup)
• Serrano Ham and Mozzarella Pita Pizza
  
• Ginger Lemon Iced Tea
• Jamaican Jerk Chicken Quinoa Bowl
• Summer Berry Pavlova with Pastry Cream

I’d love to hear from you, either in the comment section below, or tag me @thegingerwithspice on Instagram. And don’t forget to Pin it for later!

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This recipe was originally published on June 19th 2018, but updated in July 2019  for better photos and content.

Print Recipe

Watermelon Salad with Feta Cheese and Mint

Watermelon Salad with Feta Cheese and Mint, it's fresh, it's sweet and it's perfect as a side dish to any Summer dish. It's few in ingredients and high in Summer vibe.

Prep Time10 mins

Total Time10 mins

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: European, Mediterranean

Keyword: bbq side dish, watermelon salad

Servings: 8 people

Calories: 80kcal

Author: Stine Mari | Ginger with Spice

Ingredients

• 8 cups cubed watermelon 1.2 kg. A medium sized watermelon.
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese 150g or one block.
• large handful mint finely chopped
• 1 tbsp honey
• 1/2 lime, juice Zest is optional
• sprinkle sea salt or Maldon salt

Instructions

• Mix cubed watermelon, mint and crumbled feta cheese in a bowl.
• Sprinkle with sea salt and drizzle over some honey and lime juice.
• Keeps covered in the fridge for 2-3 days.

Notes

Did you make it? Tag @thegingerwithspice on Instagram, I'd love to see!

 

Pro leftover tip: If you suspect you'll have leftovers, I highly recommend to not add feta cheese to the large serving bowl, but rather sprinkle it on top of each individual serving. This way, you can easily use the leftover watermelon in smoothies or - my favorite - watermelon limeade!

Nutrition information is an estimate and is provided for informational purposes only. If you have any specific dietary concerns, please consult with your healthcare practitioner.