Watermelon is one of my favorite fruits of the summer, a celebration of swimming in the ocean, camping in the woods, long days, baseball games, freedom. It’s a product of weather that encourages its kin to bask in its glory, a counterpoint to its colder conspiring evil twin of winter. It seems almost gluttonous to want anything more from a watermelon than what it delivers and yet I found myself inventing new ways to celebrate this wonderful sweet. With a hankering for heat and a handful of fresh herbs I opted for a variation on a theme that I found on Rakhee’s lovely blog. I eliminated some of the spices to fit my preferences, but you can really do whatever you like with these. A touch of cayenne pepper, fresh mint, and salty cheese combines with the watermelon’s natural sugar, which caramelizes in the hot oven to enhance everything I love about the fruit au natural.
Ingredients:
- 1 watermelon
- 1/2 cup feta cheese
- 1 cup fresh mint leaves
- 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Preheat oven to 420°F. Cut the watermelon into wedges and place on a tray. Chop the mint leaves roughly and along with the sliced feta, arrange ingredients on the slices. Sprinkle the cayenne pepper, salt, pepper and olive oil. Pop in the oven for about 15-20 minutes.
These are amazing and I am going to put these together this weekend. Thank you for sharing! Lovely.
Thanks! They’re quite tasty! Enjoy.
That’s a lovely idea and beautiful pictures 😉
Thanks Mad Dog. I always appreciate your feedback 🙂
What a cool idea! I’m similarly super fond of watermelons and think this will be a sure fire hit to serve at summer parties.
Thanks! It’s a good way to get creative with something that’s hard to mess up!
I love watermelon salads! This is such a fun twist on that – I bet the sweet and spicy combo is amazing!!
Thanks Caty! Watermelon in any from is just such a treat.
This looks delicious. I am not usually a fan of watermelon but with the addition of the spicy feta, I might actually like this fruit now.
It offsets the taste more than disguising it, but you may enjoy it more this way. Thanks for the comment.
Amazing photos! Not complicated to make yet fit for a fancy get-together.
Thanks, Nadia!
What a very original way of serving watermelon – would never have thought of this. How does heating affect the texture? Am intrigued, I have half a watermelon in the fridge, think I’ll have to find out for msyelf 🙂
The heat didn’t seem to affect the texture. I kind of let them cool down a bit because it is a bit of a foreign concept. I just wanted to try something different. Give it a shot!
This is really smart because watermelon, feta, and mint are natural friends. Beautiful presentation.
Thanks, David! They learned to play well together.
Beautiful pictures. I love watermelon and feta in salads.
Thanks aunt susan! I had actually never had the two together. I was missing out!
A flavorful way to celebrate summer’s goodness.
Definitely. Thanks for the comment.
What a wonderful, refreshing way to have watermelon.
Cheese, fruit, herbs and spice – stunning
Thanks. Such a delicious treat.
Wonderful photos!!!
Gracias!
Your photos are just stunning and so tempting, Amanda! I love watermelon and feta together, and adding mint and a touch of spice sounds wonderful.
Thanks, hannah. I only hope they can be as good as yours one day!