Watermelon And Feta Salad With Crunchy Dukkah
This watermelon and feta salad is perfect for summer! Wedges of juicy melon topped with salty feta cheese, fresh mint and crunchy hazelnut dukkah.
Here’s a simple watermelon and feta salad to serve when the sun’s shining! It’s the perfect of sweet & salty and is made with chunks of compressed melon, fresh mint, crumbled feta cheese and a generous sprinkle of homemade hazelnut dukkah.
The great thing about this salad is how little time it takes to prepare. You simply chop up a watermelon, mix in a bowl with chopped mint, tomatoes, celery, olive oil and a squeeze of fresh lime juice then dish up and top with crumbled up feta cheese and a sprinkle of the dukkah. Speaking of, you can make the dukkah well ahead of time and it’s something I like to have on hand for finishing all types of dishes.
For more light dishes to serve at lunch from salads, sandwiches, scotch eggs, soups and lots more, take a look at our ever growing collection of lunch recipes.
Components Of This Watermelon Salad
- Watermelon – You’ll need a whole watermelon for this salad. Once it’s been cut into wedges, you can use it as it is or use a vacuum sealer to compress it!
- Cherry Tomatoes – Sweet cherry tomatoes work great with watermelon but feel free to use a different variety if you’d prefer.
- Celery – Celery adds crunch to this salad. You can leave it though if you’re not a fan.
- Fresh Mint – Chopped mint leaves add freshness to this salad. The flavour of fresh mint works great with watermelon but you could swap it out for coriander, parsley or chives.
- Feta – Salty feta cheese and sweet watermelon are a classic combination so it’s what I’ve used for this salad. You could substitute feta for goat’s cheese, fried halloumi, parmesan shavings or crumbled queso fresco.
- Olive Oil – Used to dress the salad, so using a good quality olive oil is key.
- Hazelnut Dukkah – Dukkah is a Middle Eastern mix of nuts, seeds & spices and adds flavour & crunch to this melon salad. We’re making our own, which only takes a few minutes!
Compressed Watermelon
When it comes to prepping melon for salad, you can cut it into pretty much whatever shape/size that you like. I tend to go with fairly chunky wedges because they sit in a bowl nicely. If you’d prefer to go with a dice, feel free. You could even use a melon baller & prep it that way.
If you want to compress the melon, my guide to doing this can be found on the blog. This is where we vacuum pack the melon which gives it a more vibrant colour, more intense flavour & slightly firmer texture. This isn’t compulsory & the salad will taste great regardless but it really does elevate this dish.
Hazelnut Dukkah
Dukkah is a Middle Eastern mix of nuts, seeds, spices & herbs. It has a crunchy texture & a lightly spiced, nutty flavour. We’re using it to top our salad but it’s very versatile. You can sprinkle it over roasted vegetables like courgettes & aubergines, use it to coat baked, sprinkle over grilled lamb chops or use to top my hummus recipe.
Making dukkah is super simple! You simply toast a mixture of hazelnuts, fennel, cumin, coriander, nigella & sesame seeds then roughly chop them up (apart from the sesame seeds). These are then mixed with paprika, dried oregano & a pinch of salt.
Homemade dukkah will keep for at least a couple of weeks when stored in an airtight container in a cool, dry place. I like to have some on hand at all times!
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Watermelon, Dukkah & Feta Salad
Equipment
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Baking Tray
Ingredients
Watermelon Salad
- 1 Watermelon
- 200 g Cherry Tomatoes
- 2 Sticks Celery
- 1 tbsp Finely Chopped Fresh Mint
- 100 g Feta
- 1 Lime (Cut Into Wedges)
- Olive Oil
Hazelnut Dukkah
- 50 g Blanched Hazelnuts
- 2 tsp Sesame Seeds
- 1 tsp Fennel Seeds
- 1 tsp Cumin Seeds
- 1 tsp Coriander Seeds
- 1 tsp Nigella Seeds
- 1 tsp Smoked Paprika
- 1 tsp Dried Oregano
- Fine Sea Salt
Instructions
Hazelnut Dukkah
- Preheat an oven to 180°c/356°f (160°c/320°f fan).
- Place the hazelnuts onto a baking tray & cook in the preheated oven for 5-10 minutes until golden brown then leave to cool.
- Next, set a small frying pan over a medium heat then add in the fennel, cumin, coriander & nigella seeds. Toast until fragrant (30 seconds – 1 minute) then transfer to a bowl.
- Place the pan back on the heat then add in the sesame seeds & toast until golden, stirring regularly. Transfer to another bowl & leave to cool.
- Once cool, place the hazelnuts into a pestle & mortar, coarsely chop then transfer to a bowl. Add the toasted seeds (apart from the sesame) to the pestle & mortar & crush lightly.
- Add the crushed seeds, sesame seeds, paprika & oregano to the crushed hazelnuts then season with a pinch of sea salt then stir to combine.
Watermelon Salad
- Using a sharp knife, remove the rind from the watermelon, cut into 1cm thick chunks & place into a large bowl.At this point, you can either compress the melon following these instructions or leave it as it is.
- Half the cherry tomatoes & dice the celery. Add these into the bowl with the melon along with the chopped mint. Season the salad with sea salt, drizzle over a generous glug of olive oil & mix to coat.Cut the celery however chunky you like!
- Dish the salad up into bowls then crumble over the feta & sprinkle with a generous amount of hazelnut dukkah. Dress each salad with more olive oil then serve with a wedge of lime.
Notes
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