cucumber and melon salad with feta, za’atar and basil

May 26, 2022

I had this salad at the Mandolin Aegean Bistro in Miami last week. It’s probably one of my favorite places in the city. Tables set under a canopy of trees, stringed lights, a laidback atmosphere, and insanely fresh and delicious Greek food. This salad is an unexpected mix of sweet melon, crunchy cukes, salty feta, and grassy za’atar. It’s effortless, refreshing in the summer heat, and gorg to look at. Here’s my attempt at recreating it. I haven’t given specific amounts so that you can play with how small or large you want the platter to be.

ingredients:

honey dew melon
cucumber – farm or english
fresh basil
sheep’s milk feta*
flaky salt
freshly ground pepper
za’atar
extra virgin olive oil
lemon juice

instructions:

Create a layer of 1 inch melon slices with small gaps between them. Nestle the thick cucumber slices between the melons, letting them overlap a little. Next, add the basil, tearing larger leaves and leaving the smaller ones intact. Crumble feta generously over the top, then sprinkle flaky salt and cracked pepper over everything. Now it’s time for the za’atar. Sprinkle generously so that there’s a thin layer over the entire salad. Finally, drizzle your best olive oil in zig zags till a few small pools form around the edges. Squeeze a little lemon juice as the final step, and maybe one more sprinkle of flaky salt, and serve. Warm summer night not optional!

substitutions:

*If you’re avoiding dairy, substitute the feta with salted pistachios or walnuts. They’ll give you crunch and flavor.

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