Watermelon Salad

The brightness of summer is accentuated in this fresh watermelon feta salad. Cucumber and watermelon provide crisp and refreshing flavors, while a honey and lime dressing adds sweet lightness. Feta, mint, and shallot finish off the salad, creating a delicious combination perfect for warm weather.

Why I Love This Watermelon Arugula Salad

When the weather is hot outside, there’s nothing better than a cool, refreshing salad to beat the heat. But sometimes lettuce salads can become a bit mundane and somewhat complicated to make. That’s where this watermelon feta salad saves the day. With chunks of watermelon and cucumber tossed with peppery arugula and a homemade dressing, the flavors are everything you could want during the summer months. And while this recipe could be the main dish of a meal, I prefer to serve it alongside a light protein as a complementary pairing.

If you’ve never had watermelon salad, the combination of ingredients may seem unique or odd, but give it a try. I promise that you will love how everything, including the textures, works so well together.

Watermelon Feta Salad Ingredients

Here are some of the ingredients you will need to make this watermelon salad recipe:

• Watermelon, with its sweet, watery taste, is the perfect main ingredient for a refreshing summer salad. While most “salads” are predominantly made with a base of greens, this recipe uses watermelon to provide the main flavor driver. Make sure to search out a ripe melon to get the most sweet watermelon flavor possible.
• Cucumber has similar flavors to watermelon, so it pairs perfectly in this recipe.
• Arugula has a peppery, slightly spicy flavor that works so well to add a bit of kick to this dish.
• Mint isn’t traditionally used in many salad recipes, but it pairs beautifully with watermelon and cucumber and adds just a light hint of freshness. If you don’t love mint, you could swap it out for fresh basil.
• Olive oil is a key ingredient when it comes to making a dressing because it helps to bind everything together while adding rich, smooth, and complex flavor. If possible, use a good-quality extra-virgin olive oil in this dressing.
• Shallot is a delicious, lighter-flavored alternative to onion. In this recipe, the finer texture of the sliced shallot adds the pungent flavor that’s needed without too much astringency.
• Honey adds just the right amount of sweetness to the dressing poured over the watermelon, cucumber, and arugula. Unlike granulated sugar, the honey’s viscous texture is just what the dressing needs.
• Lime adds a pop of bright, citrus-forward flavor to the salad dressing.
• Feta cheese is traditional for watermelon salad, and there’s a reason for that. The brininess of the cheese works so well when paired with the sweetness of the watermelon.
• Black pepper adds a bit of kick to the dressing.
• Salt amplifies flavor and is always needed in most recipes.

How to Make Watermelon Salad

There are three simple steps to preparing this watermelon feta salad:

1. Create the dressing
2. Prepare the watermelon
3. Assemble the salad

Step 1: Prepare the dressing. In a small bowl, add olive oil, honey, lime zest, lime juice, kosher salt, and black pepper. Whisk until combined. 

Step 2: Prepare the watermelon. Chop the watermelon into even, bite-sized squares. Cut the cucumber into bite-sized pieces. Thinly slice the shallot.

Step 3: Assemble the salad. Add the watermelon, cucumber, and shallot to a large bowl. Then, add in the arugula. Cut the feta into cubes and add to the bowl. Drizzle the dressing over the top. Add small pieces of mint. Toss the salad together until incorporated. If desired, garnish with additional fresh mint leaves and sea salt.

Pro Tips for Success

• Use the zest from the lime before squeezing in the juice. It’s much easier to grate it off a whole lime than the halves of one. A room-temperature lime will also squeeze out more easily than a cold one.
• Save the rind from the watermelon. It can be made into a delicious pickle, or if that’s too much, the rind can also be composted.
• Using a block of feta works great for this recipe. It allows you to cut the cheese into cubes, giving the salad a better look and feel.
• Rather than cutting the watermelon into cubes, it can be scooped into circles with a melon baller. This is purely a presentation choice, with either one looking beautiful. The melon baller will produce some waste, so personally, I like to cut the pieces of watermelon into cubes.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Fresh Salad Recipes for Summer

• Citrus chicken salad
• Fresh green bean and tomato salad
• Spiced pork and nectarine summer salad
• Chorizo and sweet corn salad
• Ginger miso broccoli salad
• Grilled zucchini and onion salad with basil dressing
• Chicken fajita salad
• Grilled chicken berry salad
• Grilled tequila lime shrimp salad
• Spicy pear kale salad

Watch How to Make This Recipe