Watermelon Berry Salad #Recipe by Maya Corrigan

This colorful salad made of watermelon, blueberries, and feta cheese is a treat for the eyes and the taste buds. I brought it to a dinner at a friend’s house. The eight guests at the table came from three different generations and all of us loved this refreshing salad. It’s quick and easy side dish on any summer day. The red, white, and blue in the salad reflects the colors of the U.S and the French flag, making it perfect for a celebration on July 4th or July 14th (Bastille Day).

When I was growing up, I was the only kid in my family or on my block who didn't care for watermelon. That changed when I was pregnant and craved, not pickles or sweets, but watermelon. I've loved it ever since.  

Ingredients   

3 cups of watermelon cut in 3/4-inch chunks
1 pint blueberries (2 cups)
1 1/2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 1/2 tablespoons of lemon juice
1 teaspoon of lemon zest
1 cup of feta cheese (4-5 ounces) cut in half-inch cubes
Optional garnish: Up to 2 tablespoons of chopped mint leaves

I adapted this recipe written originally by Ellie Krieger, cookbook author and dietician. It appeared in the Washington Post around the 4th of July. Krieger’s recipe called for 2 tablespoons of oil and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. I used more lemon and less oil, but you can make it either way to suit your taste.

Combine the oil, lemon juice, and lemon zest together in a large bowl. 

Add the fruit to the bowl and mix it with the liquid. 

Next, add the feta and toss the mixture gently. If desired, sprinkle with mint before serving.

You can keep the salad in an airtight container in the refrigerator for several hours or even over night before serving, but don't add the mint until just before you put it on the table. 

Though I love to eat watermelon, I find cutting through the rind a challenge. My way of avoiding that task is to use an ice cream scoop. 

 

Do you have a a favorite salad that uses fruit or vegetables that ripen in the summer?

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Maya Corrigan writes the Five-Ingredient Mysteries featuring café manger Val and her live-wire grandfather solving murders in a Chesapeake Bay town. Maya lives in a Virginia suburb of Washington, D.C. Before writing crime fiction, she taught American literature, writing, and detective fiction at Northern Virginia Community College and Georgetown University. When not reading and writing, she enjoys theater, travel, trivia, cooking, and crosswords.

Visit a mystery fan fest in the latest Five-Ingredient Mystery

Val and Granddad attend a mystery fan fest that features a bake-off between contestants playing the roles of cooks to fictional sleuths. As Nero Wolfe’s gourmet chef, Granddad competes against Sherlock Holmes's landlady Mrs. Hudson, played by Cynthia Sweet. Granddad blames her for ripping off the five-ingredient theme of his Codger Cook newspaper column to use in her own recipe column and cookbook. When she’s found dead in her hotel room with a whistling teakettle next to her, he and Val sort through the festival-goers to find the one with the biggest beef against Ms. Not-So-Sweet.

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