Greek salad with watermelon

Greek salad with watermelon is an ideal side dish for barbecues and can also be served as a starter or light lunch on warm days. The simple recipe with the extra refreshing twist of watermelon for this delicious summer salad can be prepared in just a few minutes.

What is a Greek village salad?

The Greek salad is actually called Horiatiki, which translates as village salad. It is often served as a starter in Greece and is made from just a few ingredients. The ingredients for a classic Greek village salad are: Cucumber, tomatoes, olives, red onions, feta, olive oil, salt and pepper – an interplay of fruity, sour, salty and mild flavors as well as soft and crunchy textures. But to add even more freshness, I have added watermelon to the classic.

Depending on the region, green peppers, red wine vinegar and oregano are also added. It is therefore difficult to say that there is one classic recipe for village salad.

Ingredients for a Greek salad with watermelon

Are you looking for a delicious recipe for warm summer days? Then this refreshing salad is just what you need. You can prepare it quickly and easily with ingredients that you can always find in the supermarket.

Ok, watermelon is only available in summer, or you should only buy it in summer, but you can get the other ingredients all year round. However, they also taste much more aromatic in summer, when they are in season.

So choose only the best ingredients for your village salad and buy seasonally and, if possible, regionally. The products are simply so much more aromatic when they have been thoroughly kissed by the sun. And especially in summer, it’s a lot of fun to go to the market, stroll between the stalls, treat yourself to a few samples and come home with bulging shopping baskets.

You will need the following ingredients for this watermelon recipe (the exact quantities can be found at the bottom of the recipe card):

• Watermelon
• Cucumbers
• Tomatoes
• Kalamata olives
• Red onions
• Feta cheese
• Olive oil
• Oregano
• Salt and pepper

Which watermelon should I buy?

Melon season has begun, but how do you choose the right one? To guarantee the best taste, I have a few tips and tricks for you on how to recognize ripe and aromatic watermelons.

1. Tap! Tap the melon lightly with your knuckles. If it sounds hollow and dark, then it is ripe.
2. Can you see a stalk on the melon? If it is green, then it is still unripe. But if it is brown and dried out, then it is ripe.
3. Watermelons grow like pumpkins on meter-long vines on the ground. That’s why they have a bright spot where they lay on the ground. If the spot is still light green, the melon still has little flavor. However, if the spot is yellowish to orange, then it is ripe and has a lot of flavor.
4. You can also weigh watermelons of the same size – the heaviest is the ripest. But as this is the most strenuous method to check the degree of ripeness, I always use the tapping method.

Watermelon is in season from June to September and tastes particularly intense. There are small and large varieties of the fruit, so you can also take a small one and process everything straight away.

If there is any melon left over, you can wrap it in cling film and store it in the fridge for 2-3 days.

What is the original dressing for Greek salad?

For an authentic Greek salad dressing, all you really need is a really good olive oil. Add a pinch of salt and you can mix and serve the Greek salad.

However, there are also recipes with red or white wine vinegar and freshly squeezed lemon juice. A little acidity adds even more oomph and you can experiment with lemon juice, especially with Greek salad with watermelon.

A simple recipe for warm summer days – the preparation

Once you have bought all the ingredients, you can get started right away. The preparation of the village salad is really simple and, thanks to the few ingredients, not time-consuming. However, make sure you use high-quality products, as this gives the Greek salad with watermelon a particularly intense flavor.

Brief instructions for preparing the salad (you will find the exact preparation in the recipe card below):

1. Cut the watermelon into cubes.
2. Peel the onion and cut into rings.
3. Wash the tomatoes and cut into pieces.
4. Wash and thinly slice the cucumbers.
5. Halve the olives.
6. Cut the feta into small pieces or crumble.
7. Mix everything with olive oil and oregano in a bowl and season with salt.
8. Alternatively, you can arrange everything in individual components on a plate and serve. This is particularly worthwhile if you are entertaining guests.

Variation options

I’ve already mentioned a few ingredients for the dressing, but if you like it creamy, you can stir in some Greek yogurt.

Yellow or red peppers, mild leaf lettuce or fresh herbs such as mint or lemon balm can be added as desired to refine the salad.

But crispy croutons or roasted pine nuts also make a difference and add that extra crunch.

And if you want to make a vegan version, leave out the feta cheese or replace it with a vegan alternative. I guarantee: it still tastes super delicious!

A refreshing salad for many occasions – what goes with it?

This bowl of happiness is definitely a summer salad – and what do you particularly like to make in summer? Barbecue! Whether served with lamb chops or grilled skewers, the farmer’s salad goes well with any barbecue buffet. You can also often find tzatziki, olive tapenade or spicy-sweet date dip.

And what about bread? You can also fill your Greek salad in a pita or enjoy it with Lebanese flatbread.

Greek village salad – fresh and delicious

Salads taste best when they are freshly prepared. This is also the case with this variant. Would you like a crispy salad? Then you should not prepare it too long before serving, otherwise it will lose water quickly and the vegetables will become limp.

However, you can put the melon salad in the fridge for a few hours or eat it the next day. So if you prepare it in the morning as a meal prep, the taste is still ok.

If you haven’t finished your watermelon yet, get to work and make yourself an incredibly tasty Greek salad with watermelon!

I hope you enjoy preparing them and, of course, bon appétit.

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Recipe for Greek salad with watermelon

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Would you like more sensational salads? Then try the quick avocado and cucumber salad or the fruity honeydew melon salad.