Rocket, Watermelon and Greek Feta Salad

Last weekend, we had some friends over and with them they brought a delicious salad. It was comprised of Arugula (also known as Rocket), tomatoes, cucumbers, fresh feta from a local Greek market, red onion, olive oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper. It was delicious…. but as we were eating it, my friend “S” and I both agreed that it would be perfect with the addition of watermelon and mint… and maybe a little fennel.

With that in mind, I devised my own salad using a very similar combination of ingredients and it was superb…

 Rocket, Watermelon and Greek Feta Salad

1 package of Rocket (Arugula)
1/2 cup chopped watermelon
1/2 cup shaved fennel
Crumbled Greek feta to taste
Olive Oil
Lemon Juice
Sea Salt & Fresh Ground Pepper

Combine first four ingredients and gently toss to mix. Drizzle liberally with olive oil, squirt 1 -2 wedges of (Meyer) lemon juice on and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve immediately.

Now, I didn’t get to the Greek market that my friends did… so I didn’t have fresh-made feta. Instead, I picked up some Mt. Vikos Sheep and Goat’s milk, barrel-aged, feta from Russo’s Market. It was a bit pricier than most of the other feta, but boy was it worth it. It’s texture was harder, yet creamier (if that is possible) and the flavor had a bite to it that reminded me very much of mild blue cheese. It didn’t taste like “standard feta” at all and the saltiness, combined with the sweetness of the watermelon, was a perfect pairing. This cheese would be wonderful eaten by itself… or paired with some sliced pears or apples.