Melon Salad Ideas

Embracing seasonal fruit by going sweet and savory

Summer melon season is one of my favorite times of year. Melons are delicious on their own, but also lend themselves to all kinds of recipes from soup to sorbets. Melon loves to be sweet but it also loves to be savory. My favorite melons are ripe, sweet but firm, so good you can smell them before they’re cut open. I eat my way through the season accordingly.  

Snow Leopard Melon Salad

My absolute favorite of the season, though, is an heirloom variety, Snow Leopard. It’s white with green markings, and has sweet white firm flesh. Kind of like a white cantaloupe but with a flavor that speaks whisper of honey. They tend to be small and I can usually eat a whole Snow Leopard in a sitting or two. When I can’t make it to the farmer’s market, I get my heirloom melons from Rubinette Produce Market inside of Providore, where you can find locally sourced produce seven days a week.

In the kitchen I have varying levels of motivation, and melon supports me every step of the way. It’s delicious on its own, but adding a dressing can really enhance the flavor. Here’s a Snow Leopard salad idea I love. I’d serve this proudly to guests!

Serves 2 meal salads or 4 side salads

1. Place chopped melon in a bowl and sprinkle with chopped basil. Pour olive oil, and vinegar down the side of the bowl so it lands at the bottom, add bits of honey comb, sumac and flake sea salt over the top and toss to combine. If you use honey instead of comb, mix it with the olive oil and vinegar before dressing the salad. Taste and adjust to your liking. If you’re feeling lazy, stop here. This salad is delicious just like this and makes a perfect easy snack.

2. But if you’re feeling hungry, take this melon in an entirely different direction. Add cooked and drained chickpeas and red onion to your bowl and toss with the melon/basil salad. IMO it’s really worth the time to make your own beans from heirloom producers like Rancho Gordo but canned will also work. 

Pro tip: letting warm chickpeas cool in the dressing will “marinate” them and make them more delicious. It is an extra step, though, and the salad will still taste good even if you skip. If you are motivated to marinate your chickpeas, make extra dressing for them and let cool completely before adding to the melon.

3. Next turn the chickpea and melon salad into your serving bowl or bowls. Add pea greens to the original bowl and toss in the residual dressing. Pea greens are very delicate, so be careful not to drown them, a light coat goes a long way. Of course, you can use different greens, so adjust according to what you have on hand. Plate your greens in a tall stack at the center of the serving bowl and enjoy your savory melon salad. If you’re picnicking or making the salad for later, remember to keep your greens separate and dry until ready to serve. 

All of Abra’s books are excellent, but Pulp is mind blowing!

For more savory fruit ideas, I highly recommend Pulp: A Practical Guide to Cooking with Fruit by Abra Berens. She is a true teacher and has some of the most creative and flavorful ideas of any chef around. She organizes Pulp by profiling different North American fruits, with recipes both sweet and savory for each, further sub categorizing them by cooking method. She jams, pickles, poaches, bakes, and more. The book includes stories and grower profiles, and is interesting to read. This book is an offering of Abra’s insights as a chef, that help you become a better cook. Pulp is the third in a trilogy of books and they’re essential in every good collection: Ruffage (vegetables), Grist (grains and legumes), and Pulp (fruit, of course) .