Nothing says summer more than watermelon. Cool, refreshing, light and full of flavor. These are what make Spicy Watermelon and Feta salad a perfect combination for a summer appetizer and one of my favorites. The salad is light and refreshing, it has a beautiful color and will satisfy most tastes as it has loads of flavor with little bit of heat for contrast. All in all, a brilliant appetizer.
Tip : Don’t feel limited to serving this appetizer only in summer. Watermelon is available year‑round, and many grocery stores even sell it pre‑cut into convenient cubes, making this dish easy to pull together anytime.
Ingredients
Dressing
- 1/2 medium finely diced shallot
- 1 tbsp grated ginger
- 1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tbsp sugar
- 1/4 cup vegetable oil
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 tsp Asian chili sauce (hot) or a pinch of hot pepper flakes
- 2 tbsp each balsamic vinegar, rice wine vinegar and soy sauce
Salad
- five 1" square cubes of watermelon/person
- 1/2 cup lightly crumbled feta cheese
- kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 10-12 black olives quartered
Garnish
- 1 whole thinly sliced jalapeño pepper
- 1-2 leaves fresh celery leaves optional
- 3-4 sprigs fresh cilantro leaves
Instructions
Gather all ingredients before starting the recipe.
Dressing
- Combine 1/2 medium finely diced shallot, 1 tbsp grated ginger, 1 tbsp freshly ground black pepper, 1 tbsp sugar, 1/4 cup vegetable oil, 1/4 cup olive oil, 1 tsp Asian chili sauce (hot) or a pinch of hot pepper flakes and 2 tbsp each balsamic vinegar, rice wine vinegar and soy sauce. Season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper and set aside for at least a couple of hours or overnight.
Salad
- Remove salad dressing from the refrigerator an hour before assembling the salad.
- Arrange five 1" square cubes of watermelon/person on a long plate. Drizzle watermelon with the dressing making sure that you include the bits at the bottom of the dressing. Top the watermelon with crumbled feta cheese. Sprinkle the quartered black olives around the watermelon. The olives are meant to look like watermelon seeds.
- Garnish with fresh cilantro leaves and thinly sliced jalapeño pepper.
- Drizzle plate with olive oil from the dressing and serve.
The inspiration for this recipe comes from the renowned Toronto chef Susur Lee.
