Red Fruit Salad with Basil and Feta

I’ve been making the Watermelon-Tomato-Feta-Basil Salad for years, ever since we ate it first in LA. If you haven’t had it, it’s delicious. There are a lot of different versions of it out there, but the main components are the following; in-season watermelon and tomato, onions, good feta and fresh basil. It is the epitome of salty. sweet. tangy.
But tonight I added fresh, local strawberries to the mix and it was even better. Here’s what I did…
(makes a big batch to serve 4-6 ppl)
*Red Fruit Salad with Basil and Feta
-Chunk 1/4 of a fresh watermelon
-Chunk about the same amount of tomatoes (I know, I know, not quite in-season yet, but I had some lying around so I just added more sugar than usual.)
-Hull and slice half that amount of fresh strawberries
-Thinly slice 1/2 a large onion
-Chiffonade a handful of fresh basil leaves
-Throw everything into a large bowl.
-Season liberally with salt, sugar and freshly cracked pepper. Toss. Drizzle with red wine vinegar and olive oil. Toss again.
-Allow everything to ‘marinate’ for at least an hour so the salt can bring out the juices in the fruit. (And there will be a lot of juices. It’s completely drinkable and makes a mean ‘Bloody Mary’)
-Before serving, throw in a mans handful of chunked feta cheese. (If you can find Israeli feta, it is the absolute best feta I’ve ever eaten..Trader Joe’s has some and it’s incredible in this salad.)
-Take a bite. It should taste salty. sweet. tangy. delicious.
Enjoy!