Persian Watermelon and Feta Salad

Nothing says summer quite like a delicious Watermelon and Feta Salad! This elegant combination of sweet summer melons, creamy Persian feta and fresh aromatic mint makes a perfect accompaniment to any elegant dinner.

This Persian Watermelon Feta Salad graced our Christmas table in 2016 and comes from “The Healthy Chef”, made with a few changes to suit my family's tastes and to make it more festive.

Bursting with juicy watermelon, peppery rocket/arugula, ruby red pomegranate, creamy Persian feta, and aromatic mint, this salad is sure to be a showstopper, just like our Mixed Leaf & Cherry Salad. or even our Shaved Fennel & Mandarin Salad.

Ingredients and Substitutions

• Watermelon - a seedless watermelon variety would be ideal. Need help picking the best watermelon, then check out our tips below.
• Persian Feta - is much more creamy than ordinary feta; we have added it for its creamy tanginess. Some goat cheese would work, or at a pinch, use ordinary crumbled feta cheese, but it will be a bit more salty.
• Rocket/Arugula - added for its pepperiness, it works well with the sweet melon and salty Persian feta. Swap for some salad greens or baby spinach if you prefer.
• Pomegranate - added for a pop of ruby red colour and bursts of tart sweetness. You can add some blueberries or blackberries instead.
• Fresh Mint - is used for its wonderful aroma, and it pairs beautifully with watermelon and Persian feta; it can be substituted with basil.
• Pistachios - added for some texture and crunch; you can leave them out if you prefer or swap them for roasted almonds or creamy macadamias.
• Lime Dressing - we used extra virgin olive oil and fresh lime juice to make a simple vinaigrette. But a balsamic vinegar dressing or a balsamic glaze are great alternatives.

The Changes We Made

This delicious Persian Watermelon Feta Salad Recipe has been adapted from the original recipe to suit my family's preferences, the available ingredients and to make it even more festive:
- Watermelon - we cut ours in stars when we served it for Christmas or triangles for every day.
- Mint - we just used lots and lots of mint and left out the parsley
- Persian feta - we used creamy Persian feta over the labneh
- We left out the onions (the girls hate them) and blackberries (at $12 for a tiny punnet, I thought I would give them a miss)
- Replaced the zesty lemon with aromatic lime.
We added some rocket (arugula) to bulk it up, as there were 20 of us for lunch.
- We also added some sweet pomegranate arils and crunchy pistachios for Christmas colour.

How to Make This Salad 

Step 1 - Cut up the Melon

Wash the outside of the melon, lay it flat on a chopping board then cut it in half to make two manageable pieces, then cut it into quarters.

Hold your watermelon quarter firmly and using a sharp knife cut between the rind and the pink flesh to separate them, avoid the white part.

Lay the peeled watermelon flat and cut it into bite-sized watermelon chunks or pretty triangles.

To make stars, cut the watermelon into round slices, then use a star-shaped cookie cutter. Keep the good stars for decorating on top and save the “end bits” and not-so-good stars for ‘inside’ the salad. You will also need to allow a further 15-20 minutes as it was pretty time-consuming.

Step 2 - Prepare the Remaining Ingredients

Wash your rocket (arugula) in a colander under cold running water. Remove any damaged or wilted leaves. Then either pat dry with a towel or spin dry using a salad spinner.

Remove the arils from your pomegranate and reserve two tablespoons to use as a garnish. You will step-by-step instructions in our Walnut Pomegranate post.

Wash your mint, shake and pat dry, then pick the leaves from the stems and a few sprigs for a garnish.

Whisk together olive oil and lime juice.

Step 3 - Assemble Your Watermelon Salad With Mint

In a large bowl, combine the watermelon, rocket/arugula, pomegranate arils, crumbled Persian feta, pistachios, and mint, season with salt and pepper, and drizzle with the vinaigrette.

Very gently toss the salad until well combined; taste and adjust seasonings according to your liking.

Arrange the salad on a salad platter and garnish with reserved mint sprigs, pomegranate arils and extra pistachio nuts. Serve immediately.

Tips and Questions

More Watermelon Salad Recipes

Who doesn't love a refreshing watermelon salad during the summer? Watermelon is probably my favourite summer fruit, and we always keep a bowl of cut watermelon in the fridge to snack on; it doesn't last for more than a day at our house.

If you love watermelon as much as I do, then you may like to try our Watermelon Avocado Salad or our Watermelon Fruit Salad as well.