Watermelon and Feta Salad with a Minty Lime Dressing

Watermelon and Feta Salad with a Minty Lime Dressing. I grew watermelons this year which, given the extreme heat, was challenging due to their constant desire for water!

So, I will use my last watermelon to make this classic feta combination. A popular salad, but I am combining feta with purslane, seasonal tart apples and pistachio nuts. The salty-sweet mix of the Watermelon and Feta Salad is a perfect meal on a warm day.

Sprinkle the salad with some magical sumac to enhance the flavours. Dress it in a simple lime or lemon and olive oil vinaigrette. Blend equal quantities of lime juice and olive oil with a bunch of fresh mint and a squeeze of orange juice or a little honey. No more than 1/4 tsp. Change it up with a dash of white balsamic vinegar instead of citrus; add a creamy avocado with a bit of red onion. Super-versatile.

Purslane is a weed packed with nutrients and grows freely in the garden. It has been particularly abundant this year and is an excellent alternative to salad leaves. You can also use rocket, radicchio, or any young peppery salad leaves that balance the sweetness of the watermelon.

For more light food inspiration, check out our Salads section.  

Watermelon Salad with Purslane, Feta and Minty Lime Dressing

A sweet and salty delight of watermelon and feta enhanced by the magic of sumac and a zingy lime dressing.

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Course: light lunch, salad, side dish

Cuisine: Mediterranean

Keyword: quick, summer

Prep Time: 8 minutes

Servings: 4 people

Author: The Wild Epicurean

Ingredients

• 200 g watermelon cut into chunks or cubes
• 100 g feta
• generous bunch purslane or peppery salad of your choice
• 1 large apple or ½ cucumber, cut into cubes
• small handful pistacho nuts
• ½ tsp sumac optional

Lime Dressing

• 60 ml olive oil
• 60 ml lime juice
• small bunch mint
• pinch salt
• generous grinding freshly ground pepper
• squeeze fresh orange juice or ¼ tsp honey depending on taste

Instructions

Lime Dressing

• Ideally this needs to be made in a blender or mini moulinex .
• Add all the ingredients, except the orange juice/honey, and whizz until you have a smooth emulsion. Taste and add little fresh orange juice or ¼ tsp honey if it is too sour for your taste. Ditto add more salt or pepper if required. Whizz again to incorporate.

Salad

• Put a little of the dressing in the bottom of the salad bowl. Peel and cut the apple and toss in the dressing to stop it from browning.
• Add the rest of the ingredients except the pistachos.
• Just before serving gently toss all the ingredients with enough dressing to cover the salad, sprinkle with the pistachos and a little sumac.

Notes

I have a mini Moulinex or mini multi-chop thingy, which is ideal for making dressings and sauces like this and is so much easier than using a full-sized machine.  It makes it so easy to conjure up sauces like this with zero effort.