Watermelon and feta is the salad that makes people reconsider what salad can be. Sweet against salty, crisp against creamy, the bright green of mint cutting through it all. It is summer on a plate, the kind of food you eat outside with your fingers sticky from watermelon juice.
The combination sounds unlikely until you taste it. The sweetness of chilled watermelon amplifies the saltiness of good feta. The mint adds a cooling freshness. A squeeze of lime brightens everything. A sprinkle of Aleppo pepper adds gentle heat and a beautiful rust-red color.
This is not cooking, really. It is assembly. But assembly done with care and attention to proportion. Too much feta and it overwhelms. Not enough and you lose the salt-sweet contrast that makes the dish work. The watermelon must be cold, the feta must be good quality, the mint must be fresh. These things matter.
