Watermelon, Cherry, and Feta Salad with Crispy Breadcrumbs

Here’s a Summer Salad You Won’t Easily Forget!

One look at this salad and you realize summer is most definitely upon us. A good watermelon, feta, and mint salad is one of this season’s pure joys. This combination has been with us for quite a while and for good reason. Sweet and salty, aromatic and flavorful, it’s both delicious and thirst quenching at the same time. It’s as if that salad was always meant to be. Kind of like Alice Waters’ original warm goat cheese salad. Once you’ve eaten it, you know you’ll want it again and again and again.

But this time around, I wanted more. Cherries intensify the sweetness, scallions add mild onion flavor, pomegranate molasses provides needed acid, pistachios are rich and crunchy, and the crispy fried breadcrumbs really do speak for themselves. They always increase the enjoyment level of any dish to which they’re added. A couple of my previous recipe posts, Black Rice, Plum, and Cherry Salad and Scarlet Spaghetti with Anchovies Walnuts, and Crispy Breadcrumbs  are 2 good examples. 

But before we get into the details of this recipe, I’ve got to mention a couple of obvious, but essential, reasons this salad isn’t simply good, but is really great. The quality of watermelon and cherries matter. If they are only so-so, then your salad will be mediocre. This is where you need the best fruit you can get your hands on. It will tell in the final product.

A few words about pitting those cherries. Ever since I bought this tool about 10 years ago, I’ve never dreaded pitting a load of cherries. Yes, you can use a chop stick to poke out the pit or some other type of poking utensil, but this tool makes it so much easier and faster. As you can see, it pits multiple cherries at the same time, is easy to clean and doesn’t take up a lot of room. My particular model is no longer available, but OXO makes one * that is very similar and if you’re thinking making a cherry pie, cobbler, or my salad, your life will be easier with one of these .*

Now, as to the feta, this is one of those places where the difference in quality is profound in both flavor and texture.  Much of the stuff in grocery stores is rubbery and dry in texture and is overwhelmingly salty with no discernible dairy flavor. But if you look for an imported sheep’s milk feta, you’ll find a very different product. It’s notably creamy and has the flavor of good dairy with the added tang of sheep’s milk. It costs more, but it’s very much worth the price. I wouldn’t even bother making this salad with the cheaper cow’s milk feta. It’s just not worth it. I’m almost always able to find a good one in my grocery store, but if they should be out of the sheep’s milk kind, I take a pass and wait until it’s available. 

I happen to be growing a pot of mojito mint right now and that’s what I used here. I really love this type of fresh mint. It’s milder than peppermint or spearmint, but it’s sweeter and kind of citrusy. Any kind of fresh mint works, but keep in mind the strength of the flavor and use whatever amount you like. Same goes for the scallions. I like a lot, so I used an entire bunch, but you should use however many suit your personal taste.

As to the pistachios, the ones I used are already toasted and salted, so all I had to do was crush them up a little. I like their texture and flavor much better if they’re only lightly crushed in a mortar and pestle, rather than being roughly chopped with a knife. Their flavorful oils are released when they’re crushed and I don’t end up with a lot of fine nut powder that seems to be the side effect of chopping them. If your pistachios aren’t roasted and salted, toss them into the skillet during the last minute or so when you cook your breadcrumbs.

Finally, we get to those crispy breadcrumbs, and man, they are glorious. Here’s what I do. I specified how many I used in this recipe, but I always cook up a big batch at one time and then stash them in the freezer. I cook them in olive oil with a pinch of salt and they stay crisp, even after they’ve thawed. Any kind of bread works, but you don’t want it to have too fine of a crumb. A country type bread works best. Just don’t grind it up too finely in the processor. Let the pieces remain a little large – about 1/4 – 1/3 inch in size. This way, as you’re cooking them they will inevitably break down a little and you won’t be left with crumbs that are too fine. Besides being brilliant on this salad, I add them to other salads, pastas, veggies, fish, etc. and I always get the same reaction, which is that the crispy breadcrumbs are the best thing on the plate. It’s uncanny how much they improve everything to which they’re added. 

So, once you’ve made your breadcrumbs, this all comes together quickly and easily. Cut up the fruits and scallions. Toss them with the torn mint, a little pomegranate molasses, olive oil, and season with salt and pepper. Add the feta and then sprinkle it with tajin .* 

Just in case you’re not aware, tajin * is a seasoning blend of mild chili peppers, lime, and salt. I love simply sprinkling it on melons, fresh mangoes, avocados, etc. and couldn’t help but feel it would be great on this salad. That’s why I don’t fully season the salad up to this point. The tajin will add both salt and piquancy, and it really makes the salad come alive. 

Finish it off with the crispy breadcrumbs and pistachios and you’re done. Just look at this. It’s so beautiful and summer is staring you right in the face. Serve it with grilled chicken or pork kebabs or skewered shrimp or whatever simple protein you’ve got going on. Let this salad be the main focus of your meal. It deserves it. You’ll see what I mean. We kept going back for more, and it will be making future appearances on my table throughout summer, which will make us all very happy.