Series 9 – Zero-Cook Summer Dishes, Episode 4
Watermelon & Feta Salad
This is a classic flavor combination for summer – the salty feta plays off the sweetness of the watermelon for a refreshing salad.
The fewer the ingredients in a salad, the more important the quality of the ingredients. Be sure to use a ripe watermelon, a good quality real sheep’s-milk feta, and good quality extra virgin olive oil.
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Difficulty Level: Easy
0:00 – Channel Intro
0:27 – Watermelon Salad Intro
1:58 – Watermelon Salad Ingredients
2:32 – Watermelon Salad Instruction
Videography, Photography & Editing: Albert M.
Series 9 Zero-Cook Summer Dishes
In the heat of summer, we all want to be enjoying the outdoors and we definitely don’t want to be cooking and heating up our kitchen.
The 4 dishes in this series use the freshest produce of summer, are very healthy & light, require zero cooking, and are super quick to make.
There IS some cooking going on with the ceviche, but lime juice is doing the work rather than you!
Episode 1 7/15 – https://youtu.be/u7OH3k-EZxs
Episode 2 7/22 – https://youtu.be/MoWhM0uLhKE
Episode 3 7/29 – https://youtu.be/ne6QrT7gA8A
Episode 4 8/5 – https://youtu.be/V8wKS8x62Ck
[Music] Hello, welcome to Food Immerse, a channel where we not only teach you how to cook delicious dishes, but immerse ourselves in the history, culture, science, and beauty of food. I’m Lorine, and I’m so excited for you to join me on this journey exploring different cuisines, ingredients, and cooking techniques. Be sure to subscribe so you don’t miss a single delicious episode. Sounds [Music] watermelon and feta salad. This is a classic flavor combination for summer. The salty feta plays off the sweetness of the watermelon for a refreshing salad. Watermelon has ancient origins and is thought to have originated in northeast Africa with evidence of cultivation going back over 4,000 years. Seeds have even been found in ancient Egyptian tombs. Watermelon is about 92% water, making it one of the most hydrating fruits. When you think of berries, you don’t think of watermelon, but botanically, a watermelon is considered a pepo, a type of berry with a thick rind. The heaviest watermelon on record was grown in the US state of Tennessee and weighed over 350 pounds. Seedless watermelons became popular in the 1990s and are not genetically modified. They are the result of old-fashioned plant breeding and are now the dominant variety found in grocery stores. The fewer the ingredients in a salad, the more important the quality of the ingredients. Be sure to use a ripe watermelon, a good quality real sheep’s milk feta, and good quality extra virgin olive oil. The watermelon can be cut in chunks the night before and stored covered in the refrigerator, making the salad prep super easy shortly before serving. Let’s get prepping. To make watermelon and feta salad, you will need one small to medium ripe seedless watermelon, one lemon, two tablespoons good quality extra virgin olive oil, one bunch of fresh mint, kosher salt, and freshly ground black pepper to taste, and 4 ounces of good quality feta cheese. Greek, Bulgarian, or French are all very good. The only special equipment you will need are a microplane grater and a citrus juicer. Start by cutting the watermelon into quarters. Be sure to wash the outside of the watermelon rind before cutting into it. Since melons grow on the ground, there can be dirt or bacteria on the outside that you don’t want to push to the inside with the knife. Next, cut each quarter in half lengthwise. This makes it easier to cut the flesh out, following the knife as close to the rind as possible. Once the flesh is free of the rind, shave off any little bits of rind that remain. Now cut the watermelon into approximately 1 in chunks. Add to a large shallow bowl. Continue cutting the entire watermelon. Using a microplane grater, grate the zest of half of the lemon into the watermelon. Zest only the yellow part of the rind and not the white. Zest the other half of the lemon into a dish to use later as garnish. Now roll the lemon with gentle pressure to maximize the amount of juice. Juice lemon into a small bowl. Measure out one tablespoon and drizzle over the watermelon. Drizzle in the 2 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil. Remove mint leaves from stems. We’re going to rough chop these. And you want about a/4 cup chopped. This looks about right. Give the mint a rough chop. Sprinkle over the watermelon. Add ground black pepper to taste. Add some salt, but go easy because the feta is also salty. I used about a half teaspoon. Use a rubber spatula to gently combine the ingredients. You don’t want to smash up the watermelon. Taste for lemon juice, salt, and pepper, and adjust if needed. Crumble feta over the top. Garnish with reserved lemon zest and optional mint sprigs and serve. Thank you so much for joining Foodmerse in exploring different cuisines, ingredients, and cooking techniques. If you enjoyed this video, please hit like and subscribe so you don’t miss a single delicious episode. If you make this dish, I would love to hear about it in the comments or shoot me an email. Until next time, cheers to good food. [Music]
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