Nothing can quite replace a crisp and juicy watermelon on a hot summer day.

The right watermelon even takes me back to those amazing childhood summers spent in Syria that I cherish and miss so much. Watermelon slices are usually enough for me because I like to savor it on it’s own but there’s always creative ways to incorporate it into different dishes. I’d heard of watermelon in salad but was never really interested. I wasn’t a fan of the Arab favorite of watermelon and cheese so I didn’t think incorporating it in a salad would be something I enjoyed.

Then, a few months ago, my husband and I were having lunch at The Capital Grille and I decided to be adventurous and try their Watermelon & Arugula Salad…

And I’m so glad I did.

The salad was unique and interestingly pleasant. I could have ordered two more plates if I hadn’t ordered a ribeye steak hash that I was really excited about. The sweetness of the watermelon with the spice of the arugula and saltiness of the cheese worked so well together. A closer look at what was in my plate proved that it wasn’t as simple as tossing some watermelon, arugula and cheese together, which I made note of.

Fast forward to this past weekend when we brought home a delicious, sweet, crunchy watermelon. I knew this was the one to try recreating this salad with ?.

Day 1: I got everything I thought I needed, whisked up a lemon vinaigrette and tossed some arugula and watermelon pieces into it. I hate to say that I wasn’t completely satisfied. I analyzed each bite I took. Some worked well, while others fell a bit short. It was an overall ok salad but not what I had anticipated .

Day 2: I decided to give it another try. I tweaked the vinaigrette to my liking, marinated the arugula in the dressing and diced up the watermelon into little 1/4 inch cubes, using only the center, which made a huge difference. I topped it with a sprinkle of crumbled feta and finished it with freshly ground black pepper and sea salt.

Needless to say, It. Was. Perfect.

Make sure you give it a try before watermelon season is over!

Refreshing Summer Salad

Watermelon & Arugula with Feta Cheese

1/4 cup Lemon Juice

1 tbsp Cilantro, minced

1 tbsp Shallots, minced

1 tsp Sugar

1 tsp Sea Salt

1/2 tsp Pepper

1 1/2 tbsp Olive Oil

2 cups Arugula, roughly chopped

2 cups 1/4-inch Watermelon Cubes

2 tbsp Feta, crumbled

Fresh ground Sea Salt & Black Pepper

For the dressing, in a mixing bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, cilantro, shallots, sugar, salt and pepper. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while continuing to whisk.

Toss in the arugula and allow it to marinate in the dressing for about 10 minutes.

For the watermelon, make sure you use the sweet, crispy center as this makes all the difference. Dice it up into mini cubes about 1/4-inch thick.

Toss the cubed watermelon into the arugula mixture and allow to sit for another 5 minutes.

Plate in a serving dish and sprinkle the crumbled feta over the top, then grind some fresh sea salt and black pepper to finish and enjoy!