Recipes › Cantaloupe › Cantaloupe and Prosciutto Salad
Cantaloupe and Prosciutto Salad
The Italian classic of prosciutto e melone elevated into a proper salad with peppery arugula, fresh mozzarella, and a balsamic glaze. The pairing of sweet, fragrant cantaloupe with silky, salty prosciutto is one of the most perfect flavor combinations in existence — this recipe simply frames it with great accompaniments. Requires minimal cooking and delivers maximum elegance.
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Ingredients
- ½ large ripe cantaloupe, peeled, seeded, and sliced into thin wedges or large chunks
- 4 oz prosciutto, thin slices, torn
- 8 fresh mozzarella, torn into piecesBurrata is even better if available
- 3 oz arugula, washed and dried
- 2 tbsp balsamic glaze
- 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 10 fresh basil leaves, torn
- ½ tsp flaky sea salt
- ¼ tsp black pepper, freshly cracked
Contains: milk, sulphites.
Method
- Arrange arugula as the base on a large serving platter.About 2 min
- Scatter cantaloupe pieces across the arugula. Lay the torn prosciutto over and around the melon.About 3 min
- Dot the mozzarella pieces across the salad. Scatter basil leaves over the top.About 3 min
- Drizzle olive oil evenly over the salad, then drizzle balsamic glaze in a zigzag pattern. Finish with flaky sea salt and cracked pepper. Serve immediately.About 2 min
Tips
- Use the ripest cantaloupe you can find — if it doesn't smell fragrant at room temperature, it will disappoint.
- Don't dress this salad until the moment of serving — prosciutto and arugula both wilt quickly.
- Burrata in place of mozzarella turns this into a truly special dish.
Ring the changes
- Add thin slices of prosciutto-wrapped melon as an appetizer skewer for parties.
- Replace arugula with watercress for a slightly more bitter, peppery base.
Keeping it
Serve immediately once assembled. Components can be prepped separately and refrigerated for up to 1 day.
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More from the same crop
The Italian classic — sweet, fragrant melon with salty prosciutto — is one of the simplest and most perfect flavor combinations in all of food. A scatter of fresh mint leaves and a drizzle of good olive oil are all it needs. It's not really a recipe so much as an instruction to buy the best melon and the best prosciutto you can find.
10 min · easy · CantaloupeSweet cantaloupe, cool cucumber, and salty feta with a lime-honey dressing is a salad built entirely on contrast — and that contrast is what makes it so good. It comes together in ten minutes and is the perfect side for grilled meats, fish tacos, or a backyard barbecue. It's also one of those salads that tastes better after resting for twenty minutes.
10 min · easy · Cantaloupe
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