Greek-Style Watermelon Salad

Made this on July 4, 2015 in my cheeky current events crossed with holiday way. (Grexit Independence Day Salad, getit?)

To the point, a great combination of flavors and textures. I used about double the olives because olives are tasty. Also let the cubed watermelon sit in a strainer for about 5-10 minutes while I was doing the other prep to let some water drain.

This recipe was phenomenal. In reading other reviews, the main complaint was regarding the pooling of juices (watermelon, oil, and vinegar). To remedy, I compiled the ingredients by layer (in recipe order), making the watermelon & cheese the "last" items. Do not add the olive oil, vinegar, salt, and pepper until "just before" tossing and serving. Vinegar & salt soften the walls of the watermelon accelerating the pooling. This is SOOOOO DELICIOUS!

Best. Summer. Salad. Period. Make sure to use well chilled watermelon straight from the fridge. Also, I used white balsamic vinegar (condimento bianco) which worked wonderfully.

Gave this one a try and was very impressed with the flavors!
The olives make this salad shine...used mint flakes; about a tsp!
Definitely drain watermelon & tomatoes before mixing to serve. I used more olives & feta than called for and about a tbsp of fresh chopped flat Italian parsley...use the best EVOO & Red wine vinegar that you can afford...Great recipe!!!
5/30/17

A delight! This surprises everyone: A classic, decades old combo but with a little twist. (We may, upon occasion, use more olives and more feta than called for. No one has called the NYTimes to report us. Yet.) Not great on day three so halve if for two and search cooking.nytimes for "Watermelon Mint Smoothie" for the balance of that large, watery fruit. And do NOT add vodka to that smoothie! No, no, no.

Thanks for a good idea for a summer salad. Please stop excluding vegetable and fruit prep time from the recipe Time. It’s very misleading. I see this in most recipes on this site and elsewhere. Cubing the watermelon could double the time if not more.

He published this recipe in 2013, along with some other great ones, too (see the link on the recipe blurb.) Perhaps you got your recipe that you shared in 2015 from someone who got it from him! :) We were all making watermelon salads back then. Delish!

I'm glad to see this perfect summer recipe on the NY times food after I shared it with Mark in 2015 on Instagram :)

This was really good. I don't love raw onions, so I quick pickled the onions a few hours ahead in a red wine vinegar/olive oil mix and used that as the dressing.

Based on the ingredient volume, make this for four to six people depending on what else you are serving. I make a similar salad that has about the same volume of ingredients. Note: salads with watermelon do NOT make great leftovers. Also if you need to bulk up the salad to serve more, feel free to add some greens like romaine or arugula. Just up the oil/vinegar to taste.

This salad is beautiful and very refreshing to eat. I prepared it this morning for a DAR covered dish luncheon, doubling the recipe. I used 2 cartons of grape tomatoes, halved and soaked sliced red onions in water for about 10 minutes before adding to salad. The 5 minutes prep is not correct, even for a recipe not doubled. Be prepared to find liquid in the bottom of the bowl, not only from the oil and vinegar, but from the watermelon, tomatoes and cucumbers, too. This is a wonderful salad.

I'm with you on the raw onion thing! One solution is to soak them in ice water for a bit then rinse. It really mellows them!

I used Casteveltrano olives and plain goat cheese, no herbs and Sherry vinegar. Simple, clean and delicious; everyone likes it!

I prefer it on a bed of arugula, olives optional.

I’ve made this several times and absolutely love it. Best with ripe heirloom tomatoes but any will do as long they are ripe and flavorful. Left out the cucumber once and didn’t miss it. Best feta I’ve had is an Israeli brand I found at Trader Joe. I’m not a raw onion fan but I do like the red onion in this, sliced as thinly as possible. Had best results with one of those “personal” watermelons - maybe I’m not a good judge of regular ones but these seem reliably ripe, sweet, and easy to handle.