Watermelon Feta Salad – Refreshing and delicious

Watermelon and feta is a classic salad. The sweet, juicy plump watermelon goes exceptionally well with the salty and crumbly feta cheese. It’s refreshing, hydrating and delicious all at the same time.

This watermelon feta salad has one ingredient which elevates it completely – chilli. Chilli adds a nice kick to the salad without adding too much heat as the sweetness of the watermelon balances it out! This salad also has flat leaf parsley for freshness and shallot which adds that nice mild and savoury sweet onion flavour!

This salad is perfect to serve as a side dish for a BBQ (it’s great with this ginger lime chilli chicken ) , or simply enjoyed on its own!

Watermelon Feta Salad – Tips and tricks

To make this salad you want a sweet, nice and juicy watermelon, so it’s important to pick a good one!

But how do you pick a good one? There are a few things you can look for when you’re hunting for the perfect watermelon.

1. Make sure the melon is free from bruises and marks.
2. The melon should have a yellow spot that is creamy in colour, which is the spot the melon gets from laying on the ground whilst being ripened in the sun. If this spot is pale or greenish, the watermelon may be underripe.
3. The watermelon should be heavy for its size, as it consists of more than 90% water. Light melon = less water = dry melon! So pick a HEAVY one.
4. You want your melon to be smooth and have an even shape.

Another tip is to give your melon a knock and listen to the sound it gives off! The sound you should be looking for is a deep and hollow one. I find that this trick works most times, together with the other tips mentioned.

If you follow these tips when you’re out watermelon shopping you should find yourself a tasty, sweet, juicy watermelon.

Watermelon Feta Salad – Nutrition Tidbits

• Hydration – As the name entails, watermelon is rich in water and consists of more than 90% water! Eating more watermelon during the hot months is a great way to increase your water intake and ensuring you’re staying hydrated!
• Lycopene – The pigment that gives watermelon its red colour also works as an antioxidant. Lycopene has been shown to protect your skin against sun damage, which makes watermelon perfect to eat during summer!
• Capsaicin – This is the molecule that makes chilli hot! And there are some claims that eating chilli can induce feelings of pleasure as the perceived heat from eating chilli causes to body to release endorphins, which relieves pain, increases feelings of pleasure and boosts mood. However, if this is true remains to be elucidated…

Have a large watermelon at home you need to eat? Then check out these recipes

• Watermelon Ice Lollies – You only need 2 ingredients to make these refreshing ice lollies! These are perfect to eat on a hot summer’s day!
• Watermelon Shake – A cooling and hydrating drink. Also a great drink to serve on a movie night along with a big bowl of salty popcorn!
• Feta and Quinoa Salad – This feta and quinoa salad is loaded with hydrating veggies such as plump cherry tomatoes, cucumber and of course watermelon.
• Peach Halloumi Salad with Watermelon– This salad has the sweet and salty theme going on, with salty halloumi and sweet peaches and watermelmon, all finished with a honey poppy seed dressing that brings all flavours together.
• Summer Watermelon Gazpacho – You cannot go wrong with gazpacho in the summer. Gazpacho is easy to make and is a total crowd pleaser! And it’s loaded with nutrients!

If you make this recipe, please comment and rate it! And don’t forget to take a picture and @nutritionistmeetschef on Instagram!