Greek Karpouzi Salad (Watermelon Salad) is a refreshing and light summer dish, easy to prepare and great to serve at picnics and barbecue parties because it compliments grilled meats wonderfully. This watermelon salad can be made without the feta or with vegan cheese as a vegan option, but the salty feta paired with sweet watermelon takes it to a brand new level.

HISTORY OF THE GREEK KARPOUZI SALAD.

This dish always reminds me of my granny, who lived in the south of Bulgaria, not far from the border with Greece. The summers in this area are too hot and sweet watermelon with salty feta is a favourite local summer food because it’s delicious, hydrating and refreshing and has a high content of sodium. Watermelon with feta was my granny’s summer staple, and I inherited her love for this dish.

Greek Karpouzi Salad is a contemporary light meal based on this traditional food combination from the Southern Balkans and completed with a few authentic local ingredients – sweet tomatoes, pickled salty olives and fragrant fresh mint. The sweet watermelon pairs really well with the slightly acidic cherry tomatoes, and the mint brings freshness and a wonderful tang to the salad.

WHAT DOES KARPOUZI MEAN?

“Karpouzi” is the Greek word for watermelon. Although in the past, Greek scientists referred to watermelon as “milopepon” or “applemelon”, these names did not stick, and the Greeks borrowed the Turkish word “karpuz”, which became “karpouzi”. The Turkish name for watermelon is used in many of the Balkan countries, but most often as a dialect word.

Karpouzi salad is, of course, a Watermelon salad.

VARIATION OF INGREDIENTS IN KARPOUZI SALAD.

Watermelon salad can be made only with watermelon and tomatoes, or watermelon and feta. Cucumber or pistachio nuts can also be added. But, I find the best version of all to be this Greek Karpouzi Salad because of the wonderful abundance of flavours in it. The acidity of the tomatoes balances the sweetness in the watermelon and the saltiness of the feta and the olives make this salad irresistible. The mint adds freshness and the spring onions have a lovely sharpness. I love this salad!

HOW TO CHOOSE A RIPE WATERMELON?

Here are a few points on how to choose a watermelon, passed on to me from my granny. If you get it right, there is a good chance that you will be able to choose a ripe and sweet watermelon:

• Go for a watermelon with seeds, they taste better than seedless ones.
• Choose a heavy watermelon this is normally a sign of ripeness.
• Give the watermelon a tap and listen for a dull thud. When I do that in the store, people often look at me with curiosity and wonder. They probably think it is odd but that is how you detect if the watermelon is dense.
• Choose a watermelon that has a white patch on it because this usually means that the watermelon has been resting on that spot until it has ripened and has not been picked up too early.

HOW TO MAKE GREEK KARPOUZI (WATERMELON) SALAD?

📋 INGREDIENTS IN THIS RECIPE

Watermelon: Choose sweet ripe watermelon for this salad.

Feta: Always source good quality feta. You can use sheep’s milk or cow’s milk feta in this recipe.

Olives: The olives MUST be Kalamata!  They are the best Greek olives you can get.

Fresh mint: Highly appreciated for its beautiful freshness, fresh mint is used in many authentic Balkan summer salads and is an important element in this salad.

Oil: Use Extra virgin oil for its gorgeous deep flavours.

Honey: It is better to use liquid honey in the dressing because it will be easy to dissolve.

Lemon: Brings authentic Greek flavours and lovely citrus tones to the salad.

📖 STEP-BY-STEP INSTRUCTIONS

This refreshing watermelon salad is a really easy dish that you can prepare in no time and if you are lucky to choose a sweet watermelon, it will always taste great.

Step 1: Get the watermelon ready

Remove the watermelon rind and the large hard seeds in the watermelon, the white soft seeds are fine to leave. Do not throw away the watermelon rind! You can make a delicious jam with my recipe Watermelon Rind Jam.

Cut the watermelon into bite-sized cubes.

Step 2: Prepare the rest of the ingredients

Wash and slice the cherry tomatoes in halves, or if they are large – in quarters.
Remove pips and cut the olives into round chunks. Slice the spring onion thinly.
Place all ingredients in a salad bowl.

STEP 3: MAKE THE DRESSING

To make the dressing, whisk honey, extra virgin olive oil and freshly squeezed lemon juice in a bowl.

Use liquid honey because it is easier to dissolve in the dressing. If only hard honey is available, warm it in the microwave for a few seconds until it melts and let it cool for a few minutes before adding it to the dressing.

🍲 SERVE KARPOUZI SALAD

Drizzle the dressing over the salad and stir carefully to mix the ingredients. Be careful not to break the watermelon. Grate a generous amount of feta cheese on top and sprinkle mint leaves to decorate the salad.

You can serve Greek Karpouzi Salad as an appetiser, main meal, side dish, or even as a dessert! The salad is wonderfully refreshing and is great to eat on a hot summer day. Watermelon salad is easy to pack in a lunchbox for your children to take to school or a picnic and will impress your dinner guests when served at a dinner party.

Greek Karpouzi Salad compliments beautifully all grilled meats and is a fantastic dish to serve at barbecues.

Enjoy! 👨‍🍳👨‍🍳👨‍🍳

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