Crunchy Melon Salad

The first of May is just days away, and with its arrival thoughts turn to fresh, crunchy summer salads and sweet summer fruits. Lighter meals are the order of the day, and this light, fresh salad is going to be a welcome addition to any meal. It goes together in a flash, and can be made the night before you’re ready to serve it. I used a sweet, delicious Charentais melon from Melissa’s Produce, but you can feel free to experiment with your own personal favorite. Just make sure it is orange, yellow, and very sweet to offset the light colors of the celery and cucumber, and provide a pleasing contrast of taste. As you can see from the photos, this salad lends itself quite well to molding. I used this food molding set. It holds its shape better if you chill it beforehand, but as you can see, I didn’t have any issues with it collapsing. It makes a most appreciated presentation when served in this manner.

Crunchy Melon Salad

½ English cucumber, cubed
2 ribs of celery, diced
½ Melissa’s Charentais Melon
1 tablespoon minced fresh parsley
1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes, more or less to taste
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 tablespoons Mirin, or to taste
Kosher salt, to taste
1 tablespoon toasted black sesame seeds or poppy seeds

Cut the melon into cubes or small rounds and place into a bowl with the celery, cucumber, and parsley. Season with the pepper flakes, oil, rice vinegar, salt, and Mirin.*

Toss and sprinkle with sesame or poppy seeds to serve.

*I realize that some of these ingredients are not pantry staples. You can achieve similar results by adding a teaspoon of sugar to your favorite light vinaigrette and using it instead. I like this vinaigrette dressing.

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