The Summeriest Salad of All
Is there anything more delightful on a steamy summer day than chomping into a big slab of watermelon? Turns out, maybe so! While we love to gorge on plain old watermelon, its cold-sweet-juicy goodness is really enhanced when paired with a bowlful of complementary and contrasting flavors and textures. Salt and watermelon are a classic pairing—the salt gives sweetness and juiciness of watermelon an extra vibrancy—and this salad plays that up by pairing ripe watermelon with the sharp umami goodness of crumbly feta cheese.
Watermelon and Cucumber and Arugula, Oh My!
Sweet, crisp, spicy, fresh—this watermelon cucumber salad recipe is just everything you crave on a hot day. And, fittingly, it celebrates everything that’s ripe and ready when the heat wave hits—watermelon (of course) and crisp cucumbers. It has huge flavor, and it looks pretty, too. Not that we’re *just* in it for the looks, but it feels pretty good to bring a dish this pretty to a backyard BBQ or picnic in the park. And, best of all, it’s deliciousness is the result of just a few, basic, easy-to-find ingredients. Here’s what’s in our simple, summery watermelon salad:
- Watermelon
- English cucumber
- Feta cheese
- Basil leaves
- Arugula
What’s The Best Dressing For Watermelon Salad?
There are so many wonderful flavors and textures in this salad that you can dress it as simply as you please—if you just drizzle a bit of good olive oil and vinegar over it, you’ll be sitting pretty. But, our hands-down favorite dressing for this salad is this poppyseed dressing. It’s got so many flavors that play up the flavors of the salad ingredients—Dijon is a bit spicy like arugula, honey is sweet like watermelon, poppy seeds have a lovely crunch like cucumbers, and so on. It’s just a dreamy partner for this watermelon feta salad. Plus, it’s not super complicated. All you’ll need to make it is:
- Olive oil
- White balsamic vinegar
- Dijon mustard
- Honey
- Sea salt
- Poppy seeds
How To Make The Best Ever Watermelon Salad
So, the only drawback—if you could call it a drawback—of this watermelon salad with arugula and feta cheese is that it’s not a great salad to make ahead of time. With all of these fresh, crisp ingredients, you’ll need to make it the day-of. However, there’s one exception—the poppy seed dressing! You can make this lovely poppy seed vinaigrette up to ten days ahead of time, if you’re organized like that—that’s some major foresight. As for the rest of the salad, here’s how to make it:
- Slice the cucumbers and cube the watermelon.
- Arrange the arugula on a big platter—it’ll serve as a sort of bed for all of the other ingredients.
- Mound the cubes of watermelon and cucumber on top of the arugula.
- Sprinkle the whole beautiful thing with milky, salty crumbs of feta cheese and some basil, too.
- Drizzle your poppy seed dressing over everything and dig in!
Tools You’ll Need:
- Sharp knife
- Platter for serving
More Summery Composed Salads
When it’s too hot to even fire up the grill, you know you can always count on one of these gorgeous salads to stand in for dinner.
When In Doubt, Eat Watermelon For Dinner!
We’d love to know how you loved this recipe! Snap a photo of your watermelon cucumber salad and maybe even a video of the beautiful people you feed it to. Tag us on Instagram using @themodernproper and #themodernproper. Happy eating!
