I have been waiting to make this salad since the winter time. Watermelon is my favorite fruit, mainly because it hydrates the body as you eat it, perfect to eat during non-fasting hours in Ramadan, so during this time I eat it as much as possible and in as many ways as possible. Being a coffee drinker, it’s super important to stay hydrated since it really dehydrates the body so much.
The ingredients for this salad are fresh and Mediterranean in origin. I remember seeing something like this at a Greek restaurant long ago, and so having the herbs growing in my garden that make this salad a snap to make, is probably why it’s also a rustic Mediterranean dish- traditionally, people just used what they had to serve up dishes, which then became very traditional and seasonal.
Use roughly chopped fresh watermelon, crumbled feta cheese, sliced red onions, extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, freshly ground black pepper, fresh lime or lemon and fresh herbs such as thyme, mint and basil or lemon basil.
To start, add oil to a large bowl. This is where you will mix it all up. You could serve it in this bowl, too, but I kind of like to serve it in a platter.
Next, add the sea salt.
Then the freshly ground black pepper.
Add the sliced red onion. To reduce the pungency of the onions, you can do this.
Stir it all up. Separate the onions, too, at this time, if they’re sticking together.
Add the chopped watermelon.
I like a big salad so I use a lot of watermelon.
Mix it all up.
Add the crumbled feta.
Gently pour onto serving platter.
I try not to let the feta get too pink with watermelon juice- it looks more presentable when it’s white.
Cut the leaves of the fresh herbs.
Squeeze lime juice on top.
Et voila! There you have it.
Keep chilled until you’re ready to serve.
It’s best not to keep in the fridge for more than a day or so because it becomes watery. It’s really meant to be eaten up quickly.
You can also replace the watermelon with cantaloupe. It’s just as delicious.
Perfect on a summer night…in Ramadan.
[yumprint-recipe id=’22’]