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Albanian Watermelon Feta Salad Recipe

Watermelon and feta is an Albanian salad we used to eat literally every summer night. This version adds basil, mint, small cucumbers and red onion pickled in lime and red wine vinegar. About 20 minutes, no cooking.

Written by Xhulio · Updated
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A glass bowl of watermelon cubes topped with crumbled feta and strips of fresh basil and mint

On the second episode of Cooking with Xhulio, we will be making the famous Albanian watermelon feta salad, with my guest Kiara. To give you a little bit of history, Albanians have been making this salad for a long time. In the last couple of years, it became viral on the internet because chefs started adding herbs to it. This made the recipe better because herbs enhance the flavor of the watermelon.

We used to eat watermelon and feta cheese literally every summer night. It just brings me back home. If you like videos better, here is the episode.

Why pickle the onion?

The onion goes in the bowl first, with the lime juice and the red wine vinegar, and sits there while you cut everything else. What this is going to do is that it will be removing that distinct flavor of the onion so that we can let the watermelon be the main flavor.

Small cucumbers

I prefer the smaller ones because when making watermelon feta salad the cucumbers should be crunchy and not contain a lot of water. We want them to be a little bit firm on the inside.

Cutting watermelon the Albanian way

There are many ways to cut a watermelon, but the only one I usually follow is the Albanian version. You cut it into slices, follow the line where the white and the red meet, and cut right there. I’ve seen people here in America peel it from the side. That’s too much work.

A watermelon wedge on a wooden board, with the knife cutting along the line where the red meets the white rind

The herbs

It cannot be an Albanian watermelon feta salad without the herbs. The reason why the mint and the basil work together with the watermelon is because basil is sweet and mint is refreshing, and that’s exactly what the watermelon is.

The feta and the olive oil

You can pretty much use any type of feta cheese, but I prefer the barreled feta. I think that the flavor profile of the barreled feta fits this recipe best. Just like bourbon, the feta goes in a barrel and ages for a few months, and that’s how you get that very distinct and sharp flavor.

The olive oil in the video is not your regular olive oil. I brought it all the way from Albania.

More from Cooking with Xhulio

Ah, almost forgot. If you are looking for another refreshing recipe, make sure to check out the Tabouli Salad Recipe. That was the very first episode. The one after this was a cucumber yogurt salad with sumac and radishes.

Salad Albanian

Albanian Watermelon Feta Salad Recipe

Watermelon and feta is an Albanian salad we used to eat literally every summer night. This version adds basil, mint, small cucumbers and red onion pickled in lime and red wine vinegar. About 20 minutes, no cooking.

Written by Xhulio Tested in my own kitchen
Prep time
20 min
Total time
20 min
Servings
3 people
Calories
310 kcal
Course
Salad
Cuisine
Albanian
Cooking for
3 people
Units

As written.

Ingredients

0 of 9 ticked

  • Sheep's or cow's milk feta?

    I used sheep's milk feta. If you like cow's milk feta, you can use that as well.

  • No small cucumbers?

    If you don’t have small cucumbers, you may also use a large one.

You'll need

  • Chopping board
  • Knife
  • Large mixing bowl (the onion pickles in it, and everything else goes on top)
  • Wooden spoon

Instructions

  1. Pickle the red onion

    • To start this recipe, we are going to finely chop the red onion.
    • After chopping the red onion, make sure to put it in a large bowl.
    • Next we are going to squeeze 1 lime.
    • After adding the lime juice, make sure to also add the red wine vinegar.
    • Mix them together and put the bowl aside.
    Hands chopping thin slices of red onion into small pieces on a wooden board, with small cucumbers and basil beside it
    • You need
    • red onion
    • 1 lime
    • 1 tbsp red wine vinegar

    New to this? How To Finely Chop An Onion by Gordon Ramsay

  2. Chop the cucumbers

    • Let’s grab the cucumbers and chop them in smaller pieces.
    • Put the cucumbers in the same bowl as well.
    • You need
    • 3 small cucumbers

  3. Cut the watermelon

    • After cutting the cucumbers, let’s start preparing the watermelon.
    • Remove the skin of the watermelon and cut each slice into smaller pieces.
    • Make sure the pieces are similar in size.
    • They should be slightly smaller than a golf ball.
    • Add the watermelon into the bowl and put it aside.
    Hands cutting a strip of watermelon into cubes on a wooden board
    • You need
    • ¼ watermelon

  4. Cut the herbs

    • Grab the basil leaves, and cut them into strips, which is also known as chiffonade.
    • Do the same for the mint leaves.
    • Add both herbs to the big bowl.
    Hands slicing fresh mint leaves into thin strips with a chef's knife on a wooden board
    • You need
    • fresh basil
    • fresh mint

    New to this? How to Chiffonade Basil or Mint

  5. Add the feta

    • For the last and final ingredient of the Albanian watermelon feta salad, we are going to be adding some feta cheese.
    • Crumble the feta on top of the bowl.
    • You need
    • 1 cup crumbled feta

  6. Add the olive oil and mix

    • Don’t forget to add some olive oil to boost the flavor.
    • Combine all the ingredients together and make sure to eat some for yourself first because if you serve this right away, there won’t be much left in a few seconds.
    Mixing watermelon cubes, crumbled feta and herbs with a wooden spoon in a glass bowl
    • You need
    • 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Nutrition per serving

Calories
310 kcal
Protein
10 g
Fat
16 g
Carbs
37 g
Fiber
2 g
Sugar
26 g
Sodium
575 mg

Estimated from USDA FoodData Central, without fresh mint (a handful of leaves), fresh basil (a handful of leaves).

Ju bëftë mirë!

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Questions

Questions about albanian watermelon feta salad

Is watermelon and feta salad Albanian?

Albanians have been eating watermelon with feta for many years, long before it went viral. Greece, Cyprus and Turkey have their own versions too.

What is watermelon and feta called in Albanian?

Shalqi me djathë, which means watermelon with cheese. Shalqi is watermelon and djathë is cheese. Bostan is another Albanian word for watermelon.

What is the dressing for watermelon feta salad?

There is no separate dressing. The lime juice and red wine vinegar pickle the onion first, then the olive oil goes in at the end. The feta brings the salt, so the recipe has no salt.

Can I use basil instead of mint?

You can, but use both if you have them. Basil is the sweet one and mint is the refreshing one, and watermelon is both.

Can you make watermelon feta salad ahead of time?

It’s best right after you mix it. You can cut the watermelon and cucumbers a few hours ahead and keep them covered in the fridge, in separate containers. Pour off the watermelon juice, then add the pickled onion, herbs, feta and olive oil right before you serve it.

How long does watermelon feta salad last?

It’s best the day you make it, because the watermelon keeps letting out juice. Keep leftovers covered in the fridge. Don’t leave it out for more than 2 hours, or 1 hour above 90°F (32°C).

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