There is very little wrong with a perfectly ripe melon served exactly as nature intended: chilled, sliced, and eaten with juice running down your wrist.
But when melon season is at its peak—and the farmers market tables are piled with fragrant cantaloupes, honeydews, specialty melons, and watermelons—it is worth looking beyond the fruit bowl.
Melons are surprisingly versatile. Their sweetness pairs beautifully with salty cheeses, fresh herbs, citrus, chiles, cucumbers, and even savory ingredients such as tomatoes and prosciutto. They can become a crisp salad, an elegant first course, a refreshing soup, or one of the simplest frozen desserts imaginable.
The key, of course, is starting with a really good melon.
At the farmers market, ask which variety is sweetest that day, which is most fragrant, and which has the best texture for the recipe you have in mind. A very soft, juicy melon may be ideal for soup or granita, while a firmer honeydew or Honeyloupe will hold its shape beautifully in a salad or salsa.
Here are five ways to make the most of melon season.
Melon, Cucumber, Feta and Mint Salad
This is exactly the kind of salad that belongs on a warm late-summer table: cold, crisp, juicy, salty, and refreshing. Honeydew, Honeyloupe, or Rocky Sweet would all work beautifully here. The cucumber echoes the melon’s freshness, while feta adds just enough salt and richness to keep the salad from feeling overly sweet.
Melon, Cucumber, Feta and Mint Salad
3 cups cubed ripe melon
1 large cucumber, peeled if desired, seeded, and sliced
4 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
1/4 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves, torn
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon honey, optional
Freshly ground black pepper
Flaky sea salt, as needed
Combine the melon and cucumber in a serving bowl.
Whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, and honey, if using. Drizzle over the melon and cucumber and toss gently.
Add the feta and mint and toss very lightly so the cheese remains somewhat intact.
Finish with black pepper and a small pinch of flaky salt, keeping in mind that feta is already salty.
Serve immediately or chill briefly before serving.
YIELD: Serves 4
NOTE: If the melon is exceptionally sweet, leave out the honey. The contrast between the sweet fruit, salty feta, and bright lime is what makes this salad work.
Chilled Cantaloupe Soup with Lime and Mint
Chilled melon soup can easily drift into dessert territory. This version stays on the savory side: bright with lime, lightly creamy, and barely sweetened—if at all. Ambrosia, cantaloupe, or Sugar Kiss would be excellent choices.
Chilled Cantaloupe Soup with Lime and Mint
4 cups cubed ripe cantaloupe or other orange-fleshed melon
1/2 cup plain whole-milk yogurt
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 teaspoon finely grated lime zest
1 tablespoon fresh mint leaves
Pinch of sea salt
1 to 2 teaspoons honey, only if needed
Additional mint, for garnish
Place the melon, yogurt, lime juice, lime zest, mint, salt, and honey, if using, in a blender.
Blend until completely smooth.
Taste and adjust with additional lime juice or salt as needed.
Chill for at least 1 hour before serving.
Serve cold, garnished with small mint leaves or very thin ribbons of mint.
NOTE: For an even lighter soup, replace the yogurt with a few tablespoons of cold water or coconut water.
YIELD: Serves 4
Melon Granita with Lime
This may be the easiest dessert of the season. Granita requires no ice cream maker, no special equipment, and very little sugar when the fruit is fully ripe. The result is icy, intensely flavored, and especially good after a hot-weather meal. Sugar Kiss, Ambrosia, Ananas, cantaloupe, or watermelon would all be wonderful.
Melon Granita with Lime
4 cups cubed ripe melon
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 to 4 tablespoons sugar, depending on the sweetness of the melon
Pinch of sea salt
Puree the melon, lime juice, sugar, and salt in a blender until completely smooth.
Taste the mixture. It should taste slightly sweeter than you want the finished granita to be, since freezing dulls sweetness somewhat.
Pour into a shallow metal or glass baking dish and freeze for about 1 hour.
Use a fork to scrape and break up the frozen edges, pulling them toward the center.
Return to the freezer and repeat the scraping process every 30 to 45 minutes until the mixture is completely frozen and has a light, crystalline texture, about 3 to 4 hours total.
Fluff once more with a fork before serving.
NOTE: Very ripe farmers market melon may need surprisingly little added sugar. Taste before adding the full amount.
YIELD: Serves 6
Cantaloupe, Burrata, Prosciutto and Basil
This is less a recipe than a very good reason to buy a beautiful melon. The classic combination of melon and prosciutto works because of contrast: sweet and salty, juicy and rich. Add burrata, basil, and good olive oil, and suddenly it becomes dinner.
Cantaloupe, Burrata, Prosciutto and Basil
1 small ripe cantaloupe or Ambrosia melon
8 ounces burrata
4 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves
Extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
Flaky sea salt
Balsamic glaze, optional
Cut the melon into wedges or thick slices and arrange on a platter.
Tear the burrata into large pieces and tuck it among the melon.
Loosely arrange the prosciutto around the platter and scatter with basil leaves.
Drizzle generously with olive oil and finish with black pepper and a very small amount of flaky salt.
Add a light drizzle of balsamic glaze if desired.
Serve immediately with good crusty bread.
NOTE: This is one of those dishes where ingredient quality matters enormously. Use the sweetest melon you can find, fresh burrata, and your best olive oil.
YIELD: Serves 4 as a starter or light meal
Honeydew Melon Salsa
A firm, crisp melon makes an unexpectedly good salsa. Honeydew and Honeyloupe are particularly well suited because they hold their shape and have a clean sweetness that works beautifully with lime, jalapeño, and cilantro. Serve this with grilled fish, shrimp, chicken, or simply scoop it up with tortilla chips.
Honeydew Melon Salsa
2 cups finely diced honeydew or Honeyloupe melon
1/2 cup finely diced cucumber
1/4 cup finely diced red onion
1 small jalapeño, seeded if desired and finely minced
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt, to taste
Combine the melon, cucumber, red onion, jalapeño, and cilantro in a bowl.
Add the lime juice and olive oil and toss gently.
Season with salt to taste.
Let stand for about 10 minutes before serving so the flavors can mingle.
Serve chilled or at cool room temperature.
YIELD: Makes about 3 cups
Choose the Melon to Match the Recipe
One of the pleasures of shopping at a farmers market is that there is no reason to treat every melon the same.
A soft, intensely fragrant Ambrosia or cantaloupe is wonderful for soup or granita.
A firm Honeydew or Honeyloupe is ideal for salads and salsa.
A deeply sweet Sugar Kiss makes a luxurious frozen dessert.
And an aromatic Ananas may be best enjoyed with very little interference—perhaps simply sliced with lime, mint, or a scattering of flaky salt.
Whatever you choose, melon season is short enough to justify a little experimentation.
And if the first melon disappears before it ever makes it into the recipe?
That simply means you need another one.
