Make Chef Pano’s easy watermelon and feta salad to welcome spring

Atlanta chef Pano Karatassos, executive chef of Kyma in Buckhead, has built a reputation for refined, ingredient-driven cooking rooted in modern Greek cuisine. His easy recipe for watermelon salad, layered with feta, Vidalia onion and an optional scoop of watermelon sorbet, shows that approach at its most simple and refreshing.

Why you’ll love this easy spring salad recipe

This recipe couldn’t be simpler and can be doubled or tripled for a larger crowd if you’re hosting for Easter or Passover. The watermelon sorbet is optional, but my goodness, what a knockout when you include it! The salad is best enjoyed fresh, but can be made up to a day ahead, though you should leave out the feta (and sorbet) until you are ready to serve so it does not lose its texture.

Origins of this Greek watermelon salad recipe

Chef Karatassos traces this refreshing watermelon salad back to its Mediterranean roots, where simple seasonal ingredients take center stage.

“I grew up on melon and cheese — a typical Greek morning meal and midday snack — so I did a double take when I saw watermelon-and-goat-cheese salads being assembled in the Michelin-three-star kitchen at Jean-Georges in New York City,” Karatassos said. “In my own restaurant, I add a Southern boost — sweet Vidalia onions — plus a spoonful of watermelon sorbet, which creates a savory, fruity sauce as it melts into the olive oil. Even without the sorbet, the juicy mix of sweet, salty, oniony and lactic tastes is fantastic.”

This one is definitely going into heavy rotation for the next month or two. I cannot recommend it more. If you make it, send me a note and let me know what you thought of it!

Chef Pano’s Watermelon and Feta Salad

• 1 pound seedless watermelon, rind removed, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
• 8 ounces feta cheese, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
• 1/4 small Vidalia (sweet) onion, halved and thinly sliced
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground white pepper
• 1 to 2 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling
• 1/2 cup watermelon sorbet (optional)
• Edible flowers and mixed micro herbs, for garnish

1. In serving bowls, mound alternating cubes of watermelon and feta cheese. Top with onion slices.
2. Season salads with salt and pepper, and drizzle with oil.
3. Top the salad with small scoops of sorbet, if desired. Garnish with flowers and herbs.
4. Can be made and refrigerated without feta, sorbet, flowers and herbs up to 1 day in advance. Add the feta, sorbet, flowers and herbs immediately before serving.