Watermelon Feta Salad with Lime and Mint
- Savory
- Quick
- Light
- No cook
Chilled cubes of sweet watermelon with salty feta, sharp red onion, torn mint and a lime-olive oil dressing. A light, refreshing no-cook salad.
- Total
- 15 min
- Prep 15
- Serves
- 4
- Difficulty
- Easy
You'll practice: Emulsifying · Folding
Instructions
-
Cut 600 g watermelon into 2.5 cm cubes, discarding the rind and any loose seeds. Place the cubes in a large serving bowl.
~5 min
-
Peel and halve the red onion, then slice half of it as thinly as possible into half-moons. Separate the slices with your fingers so they are not clumped.
~3 min
Separating the slices exposes more surface to the acidic dressing, which softens the onion's harsh bite and spreads its flavor evenly.
-
Cut 150 g feta into 1.5 cm cubes. Pick the mint leaves from their stems and tear the larger leaves in half.
~3 min
Tearing mint rather than chopping it bruises fewer cells, so less of its volatile aroma escapes and the flavor stays fresh.
-
Juice the lime into a small bowl and whisk in 2 tbsp olive oil, 0.25 tsp salt and 0.25 tsp black pepper until the dressing looks slightly thickened.
~2 min
Whisking disperses the oil into tiny droplets that stay suspended in the lime juice, creating a stable emulsion that coats the fruit evenly.
Taste a piece of watermelon first: if it is very sweet, use a little less salt in the dressing, and if it is pale, add a pinch more to lift it.
Emulsifying Whisk the oil in gradually so it breaks into tiny droplets that stay suspended; stop when the dressing looks glossy and slightly thickened, not slick with pools of oil.
-
Scatter the red onion, feta and mint over the watermelon, drizzle the lime dressing over the top and fold gently with a large spoon, just two or three turns, so the feta stays in cubes. Serve at once.
~2 min
Folding rather than stirring limits agitation, keeping the feta cubes intact and preventing them from smearing and clouding the dressing.
Chill the watermelon and feta before assembling; a cold salad keeps the cubes firm and the feta from smearing when you fold it.
Folding Use a large spoon and turn from the bottom up just two or three times; stop as soon as the dressing is distributed so the feta cubes stay whole.
