A Fourth of July cookout is the perfect time to whip out all your summer favorites, from hamburgers and hot dogs on the grill, to a fresh fruit salad. Of course, a summer and July Fourth staple snack is watermelon. With its festive color and light flavor, and as long as you’ve chosen the right one from the store, watermelon is an instant crowd pleaser. But why serve it on its own when two simple ingredients could be the upgrade you never knew you needed?
Easily elevate your watermelon by turning it into the base of a salad, and topping it with feta cheese and mint. Feta is a strong, notably salty cheese, so it will nicely contrast with the milder sweetness of watermelon; combined with the freshness of mint, you have the trifecta of summer flavors.
The recipe is simple. Cut up your watermelon into small pieces — there are many hacks for cutting watermelon cubes — and spread them out on a dish. Then sprinkle crumbled feta and chopped mint over the fruit and enjoy. It’s best to use sheep or goat’s milk feta cheese since it will have a tangier flavor, thus giving a stronger contrast, and, of course, use the freshest mint you can find. The portions on this recipe can be easily adjusted depending on your topping preferences, but half a cup of feta will do the trick for a small watermelon. Assemble this dish right before guests arrive for maximum freshness, and delight in a classic snack with a tasty twist.
More upgrades to this recipe
A great thing about this simple dish is that it technically doesn’t require a dressing. That being said, it only takes a few ingredients to spice this recipe up even more. Make a quick dressing using balsamic or red wine vinegar, olive oil, and salt to taste, to up the savory flavors and allow them to soak into your watermelon. You can even add a few drops of lemon juice to keep things bright.
Not keen on feta? Easily swap the cheese in this recipe for something that does strike your fancy. For instance, manchego is a hard cheese that pairs wonderfully with watermelon, as it has a similar strong twang, but it’s richer than feta. The manchego, or any similar hard cheese, will still benefit from a bright mint leaf and will also mesh well with an olive oil vinaigrette. Not to mention, a hard and sturdy cheese opens up new presentation possibilities. While feta is a nice crumbly topping, you can turn this salad into individual bites by skewering through watermelon and hard manchego cubes and a whole mint leaf. Bonus points if you use a blue toothpick or skewer for some patriotic, red, white, and blue flair. Or keep the salad in true salad form, but perhaps experiment with the shape of your watermelon — cut the pieces into stars instead of cubes. With a simple recipe like this watermelon and feta salad, it’s easy to have fun and really make it your own.
