watermelon feta & dilly orzo salad
Honestly, this dish is more a concept than a recipe. The concept of the perfect summer salad that can be eaten as a main dish or as an ideal side salad in a BBQ.
Mixing watermelon and feta is something I started doing a couple years ago and the combination always takes me to a very special place.
In this dish, I wanted to include these elements with even more crunch and salt, so the entire thing is assembled in a bed of lemony, dilly orzo, and the watermelon, watermelon radish (See what I did there?), feta & cucumber get layered almost as if you were building a caprese salad.
Everything gets topped with more herbs, lots of olive oil, lemon juice and capers.
It eats and feels very casual but still feels special, intentional and vibrant. Serve cold with or sparkling wine. Perfect for a park or beach day.
ingredients (Serves 6 to 8 people)
½ sliced watermelon
150g sliced feta cheese
½ English Cucumber (Sliced on a bias)
1 sliced watermelon radish
200g cooked orzo
2 lemons
A handful of fresh, chopped dill (Aprox 100g)
80g large capers sliced in half
Pickled Red Onions
Salt to taste
Pepper to taste
Fresh leafs of parsley
Fresh leafs of cilantro
instructions
Cook the orzo in heavily salted water. Once al dente (About 7 to 9 minutes) drain and rinse with cold water. Place in a bowl.
To the orzo, add the zest and juice of one lemon, a tablespoon of olive oil and the fresh dill. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.
Place orzo as the base in a large plate, and on top start layering your watermelon, a cucumber slice, a slice of watermelon radish, a slice of feta cheese and repeat until the entire plate is covered.
Top the salad with the cilantro and parsley leafs, scattered pickled onions and capers. Give the entire thing a final glug of olive oil, salt, pepper and a squeeze of fresh lemon. Serve cold.
