Watermelon, Feta & Frozen Peach Salad
A refreshing, vibrant watermelon, feta and mint salad topped with shavings of frozen peach. The perfect summer salad to keep you cool on a hot day.
Introducing the most refreshing salad that you can make in summer! This is a twist on a classic Mediterranean watermelon, mint & feta salad that I’ve taken to another level by adding in smashed cucumber, sweet cherry tomatoes, a really simple honey & lime salad dressing and a generous amount of grated frozen peach. There’s a load of fresh peach mixed through as well!
This melon salad takes less than 15 minutes to prepare so is perfect for when it’s hot and you don’t want to spend too much time in the kitchen. It’s designed to be served sharing style, on a large serving plate so would be a great centrepiece for summer barbecues, dinner parties and family meals, eaten outside.
If you’re looking for more lunch inspiration, take a look at our ever growing collection of lunch recipes. There’s something for everyone here, from vibrant salads, to next level sandwiches & homemade scotch eggs.
Why You’ll Love This Salad!
- It’s Perfect For Summer – This salad is made with the most refreshing fruits! Watermelon & cucumber which are mostly water and juicy peaches.
- Quick To Make – The dressing takes minutes to make and the salad prep is just chopping up some fruit.
- Designed To Share – Watermelon salad piled up on a large serving plate looks fantastic and makes for a great centrepiece.
- Simple Salad Dressing – The salad dressing is a simple mix of honey, fresh lime, red wine vinegar and olive oil.
Components Of This Watermelon Feta Salad
When it comes to making a watermelon salad, it’s best to keep things simple. The dressing is made by mixing honey with lime juice & zest, red wine vinegar and olive oil. Then it’s pretty much just a case of chopping everything up, mixing with the dressing, piling onto a serving plate then topping with crumbled feta and grated frozen peach.
Watermelon
The star of the show! I fully planned on using a whole watermelon for this salad but after chopping it into 1 inch cubes, there was way too much. Instead, I went with 2/3 of a large watermelon which was the perfect amount. Although you could use a whole smaller melon if you’d prefer.
The reason I went for 1 inch cubes, is so you can eat this salad without needing a knife to cut anything up. You can of course cut the melon however you like but for this salad, I’ve found that this size is best.
Frozen Peach
Grated frozen peach is a popular ice cream topping but it also works really well on salads. The frozen peach shavings add a sweet, refreshing flavour that melts in your mouth! I also added some chunks of regular peach into the salad, for some contrasting texture.
In order to grate a fresh peach, you’ll need to leave it in the freezer until it has frozen solid. This will take at least 6 hours but I left mine in their overnight just to be certain. It’s also best to wrap the peach in clingfilm, to avoid freezer burn.
Then to grate, it’s just a case of grating the peach on a microplane like you would with parmesan. You’ll need to keep turning the peach as you grate it, to get the most out of it and there’s no need to peel.
Cucumber, Tomatoes & Fresh Herbs
The mix ins I went with for this salad complement the watermelon and peaches perfectly. We’re talking smashed cucumber, sweet cherry tomatoes and finely shredded fresh mint and basil. If you’ve never smashed a cucumber before, it’s the best way to prep it for salad! You give a whole cucumber a whack with a rolling pin to split the sides open then roughly chop it up. This way, each piece of cucumber has more surface area for dressing to cling to.
Feta Cheese
Watermelon and feta is a classic combination so it’s the cheese of choice for this salad. Feta is a crumbly Greek cheese that’s made with sheep’s milk and aged in brine. It’s tangy, salty flavour enhances the sweetness and flavour from the watermelon. Although it’s best to crumble the feta over the top of the melon salad, otherwise the cheese can break down and turn into a sort of paste that would make the salad too salty.
Honey & Lime Dressing
I’ve gone with a super simple honey & lime dressing for this melon salad. This salad dressing is made by mixing honey with lime zest & juice, red wine vinegar and olive oil. It’s got the perfect balance of sweetness & acidity and enhances the sweet, refreshing flavour of the watermelon. Melon is mostly water after all, which is why this salad is so refreshing but does mean it needs some sweetness, acidity and a pinch of salt to bring out its flavour.
How To Serve Watermelon Salad Sharing Style
This watermelon salad is designed to be served sharing style, on a big sharing plate! Serving it family style way means everyone can take as much as they like. Plus you make a stunning centrepiece that’s perfect for summer gatherings.
A good watermelon salad is perfect for serving on its own as a light meal, on a scorching hot summer day. However, it also pairs fantastically with grilled and barbecued meats, whole roasted chicken or as part of a mezze platter alongside hummus, pittas, falafel, marinated olives & more…
Frequently Asked Questions
Watermelon salad can be prepared ahead of time but should be dressed & mixed just before serving as the dressing will draw the juice out of the fruit.
All of the components of this watermelon salad can be prepared up to 2 days ahead of time and should be stored separately in the fridge.
It’s better to crumble feta over the top of watermelon salad, so that the chunks keep their shape. If you mix feta through melon salad, it can break down into a paste that makes the salad too salty.
More Salad Recipes To Try
- Pineapple & Cucumber Salad With Mojito Dressing
- Tomato, Peach & Crispy Prosciutto Salad
- Everything Bagel Salad With A Cream Cheese Schmear
- Tuna & Sun Dried Tomato Pasta Salad
- Roast Chicken & Giant Couscous Salad
- Panzanella Salad With Burrata
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Watermelon, Feta & Frozen Peach Salad
Equipment
- Large Mixing Bowl
- Small Mixing Bowl
- Microplane/Grater
Ingredients
Honey & Lime Dressing
- 1 tbsp Honey
- 1 tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
- 1 tbsp Lime Juice
- Zest Of 1 Lime
- 2 tbsp Olive Oil
Watermelon Salad
- Two Thirds Of A Large Watermelon (Around 2kg – See Notes)
- A Large Cucumber
- 3 Peaches
- 150 g Cherry Tomatoes
- 1 tbsp Finely Chopped Mint
- 1 tbsp Finely Chopped Basil
- 100 g Feta
Instructions
- Before making the salad, take 1 of the peaches then wrap in clingfilm and leave in the freezer until frozen solid. It's best to do this the day before.
Honey & Lime Dressing
- Add the honey, vinegar, lime juice & zest into a small mixing bowl then stir to combine.
- Next, gradually stir in the olive oil then set the dressing to one side. Make sure to gradually pour in the oil whilst stirring, so that the dressing emulsifies properly.
Watermelon Salad
- Use a sharp knife to trim the rind off the watermelon then cut the melon into 1 inch cubes and place into a large mixing bowl.
- Next, lightly trim the ends from the cucumber then use a rolling pin to whack it until the sides split open.If you don't have a rolling pin to hand, use something heavy like a meat tenderising hammer or small saucepan.
- Roughly chop the smashed cucumber into pieces that are a similar size to the melon then add into the mixing bowl.
- Cut the 2 unfrozen peaches into quarters then remove the stones. Cut each quarter into rough quarters then add into the mixing bowl as well.
- Cut the cherry tomatoes in half then add into the mixing bowl along with the chopped herbs. Add in the dressing, lightly season with sea salt & freshly cracked black pepper then toss to combine.
- Transfer the salad to a large serving plate then crumble the feta over the top.
- To finish, take the peach out of the freezer & remove the clingfilm. Then use a microplane grater to finely grate a generous amount of frozen peach over the salad. Serve immediately.
Notes
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