No Feta? This Cheese Is The Next Best Choice For Your Watermelon Salad

Step aside, "Watermelon sugar high." (Harry Styles fans, rise up). When warm weather strikes, we're all about "Watermelon salad high." A typical watermelon salad comprises cubed watermelon, red onion, English cucumber, lime juice, and feta cheese crumbles. Bright, refreshing watermelon salad is one of the best ways to maximize seasonal summer produce — but if you're fresh out of feta, don't trip.

Today's tip comes from Andrew "Kappy" Kaplan, founder of Culinary Advisors LLC and host of the "Beyond the Plate" podcast. Kaplan recently sat down with Tasting Table for an exclusive interview, during which he cued foodies in to the ultimate feta substitute for whipping up a flavorful watermelon salad. "To me, there really is no true substitute for fresh feta in a watermelon salad," Kaplan prefaces. "The cold, salty feta is such a perfect match for the crisp, refreshing watermelon." But, according to Kaplan, in a pinch, goat cheese is the best fit for the job.

Feta and goat cheese both deliver tones of subtle yet piquant saltiness, as well as similar crumbly textures and moisture contents (50 to 80% for goat cheese and around 55% for feta). But some goat cheese varieties are creamier and tangier, depending on preparation. Like feta, that bolder goat cheese can be crumbled directly on top of the assembled salad, but its distinctive tanginess imparts a slight funk onto the salad's overall tasting profile that feta doesn't deliver. Expect a more pronounced cheese taste from this ingredient swap. Got leftover fromage? We've rounded up 15 delicious uses for goat cheese that aren't salad. 

According to Kaplan, goat cheese especially shines in watermelon salad with the help of a few creative culinary tweaks. "You could shape goat cheese into small medallions, coat them in breadcrumbs, and quickly fry them," suggests the chef. "Then you'd have the contrast of cold watermelon with hot, crispy, tangy goat cheese. It's reminiscent of the baked goat cheese salad made famous by Alice Waters at Chez Panisse, which has been a hit for decades." Or, says Kaplan, that goat cheese could be thinned with a splash of cream, then smeared across the serving dish before plating the salad on top. This creates both an elevated presentation and a subtler cheese taste. 

At the end of the day, goat cheese and feta are two different ingredients, and should be celebrated for their unique profiles. As Kaplan recommends, "If you want to swap goat cheese into a watermelon salad, it's best to lean into the tangy and creaminess rather than trying to mimic feta's salty crumble." To really lean into this fruity-savory interplay, Kate Middleton adds chunks of creamy avocado when she prepares her version of the salad, which would complement the texture and savoriness of the goat cheese.

To complete the meal, pair your funkified goat cheese watermelon salad with a cheerful watermelon cocktail, creamy Kewpie macaroni salad, and your favorite summertime cookout entree. Brats, burgers, and chicken katsu cutlet sandos pair especially well.