Shrimp, Watermelon and Feta Salad
Shrimp, Watermelon and Feta Salad is a glorious mixture of textures and tastes, with cool watermelon perfectly pairing with garlicky shrimp, salty feta cheese and a pop of chilli. This simple recipe is summer on a plate!
I adore recipes that combine ingredients in clever and unusual ways to excite our sometimes tired tastebuds. If you’ve never tried the amazingly tasty combination of salty feta cheese and cool, sweet watermelon before, you are in for a treat.
Today’s recipe for Shrimp, Watermelon and Feta salad takes this one step further, making a truly delicious meal for a hot summer day.
Ingredients
In my opinion, this is the perfect summer salad. As always with simple recipes, always use the freshest and best quality ingredients you can afford.
- Shrimp / Prawns: Bit of a linguistics issue here, in Australia, and New Zealand we tend to use the word prawn for these delicious aquatic morsels, while in the United States, shrimp is the more popular term. Regardless of where you come from, shrimp and prawn are actually two different, but similar creatures! Whatever you call them, make sure you get nice, fresh ones that are a decent size for the best flavour and presentation.
- Garlic, Lemon and Thyme: These flavours play great with seafood, so we use them in a marinade for the shrimp / prawns.
- Watermelon: Fresh, juicy watermelon absolutely sings of summer and is amazingly good in a salad. If you can’t get watermelon or it isn’t quite in season, other melons like rock melon or honeydew are tasty, as is fresh mango. Watermelons vary widely in size, so you’ll have to eyeball how much you need. Seedless watermelon makes for easy eating.
- Feta Cheese: Use a good quality, creamy, salty feta for this recipe. In Australia, I often use ‘Danish’ style feta, as I enjoy the softer texture. Any crumbly goat cheese will work well here.
- Salad Ingredients: You can throw as many of your favourite salad greens at this salad as you like! I usually get a bag of mixed leaves, some cool and refreshing cucumber, red onion or French shallot for a bit of body, fresh mint leaves (don’t skip these) and some sliced red chilli to give everything a bit of zing. Yum!
- Vinaigrette: You can use a bought salad dressing for this salad, but it is so easy to shake up a quick vinaigrette yourself. Use some good-quality olive oil, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard and a bit of honey or sugar to round things off.
Instructions
Prawn, Feta and Watermelon Salad is a fabulous summer dinner as it is super quick and simple to prepare.
- First, cut off the heads, then peel and devein the shrimp / prawns. give them a quick rinse under running water, then place them in a dish or bowl. Toss together with oil, lemon, garlic and thyme, season with salt and pepper and set aside.
- Next prepare the salads, by layering up all of your salad greens, red onion, feta and watermelon on individual plates or a large platter. Shake all vinaigrette ingredients together in a small jar and set aside.
- Heat a large skillet, frying pan or grill over medium-high heat, then cook the prawns / shrimp for just a few minutes, until golden and no longer translucent. Transfer to a plate, tent loosely with foil and rest for 3-4 minutes.
- Finally, assemble the salad by dividing the prawns / shrimp over the top, scattering over the fresh red chilli slices and drizzling over the vinaigrette. Serve immediately with some fresh, crusty bread.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Can I use frozen prawns or shrimp to make this Shrimp, Watermelon and Feta Salad?
Yes! In fact, prawns and shrimp that are sold in the supermarket are very often defrosted in store. I do prefer to use whole prawns and devein them myself, but that’s up to you.
Watermelon isn’t in season. What other fruit can I use?
Any melon such as rock melon or honeydew will work in this recipe, as well as tropical fruits such as mango or papaya.
Can I make this salad in advance?
This salad comes together so quickly, that I’d recommend making it fresh, though chilled leftovers will be perfectly fine to eat the next day. If you think you are going to end up with leftovers, bring the dressing to the table and allow people to add it to their plates, rather than drizzling it over the salad platter. That way the salad greens will stay fresh.
Looking for more delicious summer salads? Why not try:
Shrimp, Watermelon and Feta Salad Recipe
Shrimp, Watermelon and Feta Salad
If you've never tried this wonder combination of ingredients before, be prepared for a summery flavour sensation. Shrimp, Watermelon and Feta Salad is a glorious mixture of textures and tastes, with cool watermelon perfectly pairing with garlicky shrimp, salty feta cheese and a pop of chilli. This simple recipe is summer on a plate!
Ingredients
for the shrimp / prawns:
- 500 g raw shrimp / prawns, peeled and deveined
- 1 Tbsp olive oil
- zest and juice of 1 lemon
- 2 cloves garlic, crushed
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme, leaves chopped
- sea salt and black pepper
for the salad:
- 125 g mixed salad leaves
- ¼ - ½ small seedless watermelon, roughly diced into 1-inch cubes
- 1 cucumber, sliced
- 1 small red onion, thinly sliced
- 100 g feta cheese, crumbled
- small bunch of fresh mint
- 1 red chilli, sliced
- squeeze of lime juice
for the vinaigrette:
- 4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2.5 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
- ½ tsp sugar or honey
Instructions
- MARINATE SHRIMP / PRAWNS: Remove the heads, peel and devein the shrimp, leaving the tail intact. Place shrimp in a large bowl or dish and toss together with the olive oil, lemon zest and juice, garlic, thyme and a few grinds of salt and pepper.
- PREPARE SALAD: Either on a large platter or individual plates, layer the salad leaves, watermelon, red onion, feta and mint leaves.
- MAKE VINAIGRETTE: Combine all vinaigrette ingredients in a jar and shake well to combine.
- COOK SHRIMP / PRAWNS: Heat a large skillet, grill pan or frying pan over medium heat, then add the shrimp / prawns and cook, turning once or twice until they are golden, no longer translucent and curled into a C shape. Remove from the heat, tent loosely with foil and rest for 2-3 minutes.
- ASSEMBLE SALAD: Divide the shrimp / prawns over the salad, sprinkle over chopped fresh chilli to taste and drizzle over the vinaigrette. Squeeze over a little fresh lime, then serve immediately with fresh, crusty bread.
Notes
No watermelon? Use other melon varieties instead or tropical fruits such as mango or papaya.
No Fresh chilli? Use red pepper flakes instead.
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Nutrition
Serving: 1Plate | Calories: 442kcal | Carbohydrates: 33g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 25g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 14g | Cholesterol: 180mg | Sodium: 1051mg | Potassium: 757mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 21g | Vitamin A: 2456IU | Vitamin C: 65mg | Calcium: 246mg | Iron: 2mg
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