Fetta, watermelon and cucumber salad

Try watermelon fetta salad for your refreshing summer fare

When the weather heats up it’s time to bust out the fresh salads and it doesn’t get much more refreshing than a salad with fetta and watermelon. Add in some cucumber and mint and you have got yourself the ultimate chewable thirst quencher. 

Watermelon salad with fetta and mint is the ideal summer salad, thanks to sweet and juicy watermelon combined with creamy and salty fetta, plus a hint of herbaceous mint. It’s also incredibly easy to make. All you need to do is chop up a few ingredients, pop them all together in a bowl and your salad is ready in 10 minutes. 

Whether you're hosting a summer barbecue, a picnic in the park, or want a light and healthy meal, this watermelon salad recipe is a versatile choice. It's a great side dish or a standalone option for a quick and satisfying meal.

A recipe for watermelon salad you can't refuse

The appeal of watermelon salad is hard to deny, and the main attraction is, of course, the queen of refreshing fruits itself. Because the watermelon is the clear star of this show, you need to be sure to pick the right fruit or else the entire flavour of the salad will suffer.

Testing for the perfect fruit for a watermelon cucumber salad involves a few different steps you can try. Inspect the colour for uniformity and consistency of the stripes, or you can tap it and test for sound. A ripe watermelon tends to produce a low-pitched, hollow sound and feels heavy, while an underripe one may sound dull.

Tips for how to make watermelon salad

Once you’ve chosen the perfect fruit, you need to know how to cut the watermelon. This large round fruit has a rather thick skin, making it somewhat awkward to cut. Using a sharp knife, cut a thin slice from both ends to create a flat, stable surface for the melon to stand on. Standing the fruit on one of the flat ends, slice it through the middle to create two halves. Once you have two halves it will make it more manageable to cut into quarters and then from there, you can choose to slice it into wedges or cubes. 

The second essential ingredient of the recipe for a watermelon salad is creamy and salty cheese. Fetta is a white-brined cheese originating from Greece. While commonly made from sheep's milk, it is now more often made from cow’s milk. 

Ever wondered why sometimes you see the salty white cheese labelled feta while other times it’s written as fetta? Feta is a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), and like Champagne, it can only be known as feta if it is made in certain Greek or Cypriot regions, while in other areas (like Australia) it has to be labelled as fetta. 

This watermelon and fetta salad incorporates traditional Greek-inspired flavours with fetta, onion, cucumber and olives like a traditional Greek salad but with sweet watermelon in place of tomato. 

What to serve with watermelon fetta salad

The next question you’re likely to ask yourself is what meat goes with watermelon salad? The sweet, salty and creamy flavours of this salad will work with a variety of your favourite proteins. Your best bet is to stick with Greek-inspired flavours like lemon juice and oregano-marinated lamb, chicken or even pork. Our collection of easy Greek recipes never fails to please a crowd, plus they’re simple to prepare. 

How you serve the salad with watermelon fetta and mint will be dependent on the occasion and whether it is being served as a main, appetiser or side. 

If served at a formal dinner alongside other proteins and courses, this gourmet watermelon salad would look great on a glass platter in the centre of the table or as individual side salads in smaller bowls. 

If you want to jazz up this fetta and watermelon salad with mint, you could add a little bit of crunch with some toasted seeds or nuts, and if the vinaigrette itself is not enough flavour for you, you could add some oregano to give it that authentic Greek taste. If you aren’t a fan of lemon vinaigrette or olives, then you could try a watermelon, fetta and pomegranate salad instead.