Melon and Prosciutto Salad

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Melon and Prosciutto Appetizer

This Mexican inspired melon and prosciutto salad is the perfect combination of salty, sweet and spicy and you won’t be able to get enough of it! This salad is the worlds best spin on a prosciutto and melon salad made with a few specific components to add Mexican flavor.  It is dressed with a roasted jalapeño dressing that is oily, garlicky, citrusy and SPICY. 

Whoever decided to put this combination of melon and prosciutto together and make it in to a salad deserves a Nobel prize.  This is a winning combination of flavors. It only makes sense, the prosciutto is salty and the melon is sweet, add in spicy and you have yourself the zenith of food flavor combinations. 

The first time that I had melon and prosciutto together at a restaurant, sold it as an incredibly simple salad with all house made ingredients and local cantaloupe. It was comprised only of big chunks of cantaloupe melon, fresh house-made prosciutto, shaved parmesan cheese, olive oil and cracked black pepper.  Just those few simple ingredients and that was the entirety of the salad. The prosciutto was butchered, cured and aged in house and all the other ingredients were top notch and ripened to perfection. That salad was so memorable that it has become a favorite that I have made ever since.

I designed this salad around the list of ingredients above and then decided to add some other accompaniments that I also love to spice it up. The pomegranate seeds are for color, but still bring a good texture and pop of flavor.  That to say, whatever you love you can bring in to this salad.  I might recommend just a few additions to keep it on the more simple side.  Less is more here so that you keep the melon and prosciutto the stars. 

I’m always looking for good prosciutto and cantaloupe recipes and I love the idea to make a more traditional greens salad and bring in the Mexican flavor of jalapeño. When thinking of what I could create for salad recipes for dinner I thought that they variety in ingredients and flavors allows for a satiating and satisfying meal, this is a great recipe to save or print to keep in your archive of salad ideas.

The dressing is very simple and is made up of a handful of ingredients.  I would recommend using your own dressing to avoid unfavorable oils and preservatives that are far too common today even in the marketed healthy options.  It will be worth it when you give it a taste! Keep reading to learn more about this melon and prosciutto salad appetizer recipe!

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Ingredients for Melon and Prosciutto Starter:

• Cantaloup melon
• Prosciutto
• Parmesan cheese
• Lettuce
• Pine nuts
• Pomegranate seeds 

Dressing:

• Olive oil
• Garlic
• Jalapeños
• Lime
• Lemon
• Sea salt

Garnish:

Roasted Jalapeños

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Cantaloupe Prosciutto Salad

Ingredient notes and amounts:

Cantaloupe melon- Distinguishable by its orange flesh. Make sure to use a nice ripe melon, you may check for ripeness by pressing on the spot where the stem has been cut off and feeling for some “give” when you apply pressure. If its super hard and doesn’t flex upon pressure it needs more time to ripen.

Prosciutto- Suupperr thinly sliced, removing from sheets if it is packaged this way. Trim off the fat if you would like it better that way. 

Cheese- Find a hard cheese that can be shaved or grated, an example would be parmesan.  I found a hard Reggiano sheeps cheese which tasted similar. Shave the cheese or you could grate it. If you do not have an actual cheese grater that can shave you could do what I did, which is use a peeler.  It works equally as well. You can then break up or cut with a knife to crumble the larger pieces.

Lettuce- Use whatever type of lettuce you enjoy the taste and texture of.  Wash it well and dry it in a salad spinner or with a towel gently. 

Pine nuts:  This can be a rather expensive ingredient so feel free to omit this one if trying to cut down the cost of the salad.  I used just a small amount for an added layer of flavor that is nutty and buttery.  Toast just the amount that you will be using and freeze the rest for another recipe.

Dressing:

• Olive oil- 3 cups (extra virgin)
• Limes- 2
• Lemons-2
• Garlic- 1 small head or 3-4 cloves
• Roasted jalapeños- 6 medium sized peppers for the dressing and extra for the optional garnish on top of the salad.  

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Instructions for the homemade roasted jalapeño and citrus dressing:

1. Prepare the dressing by first roasting the jalapeños in the oven until fully cooked, around 25 minutes at 375F.  Add roasted, deseeded (make sure to use gloves when working with hot peppers!)peppers to a food processor with extra virgin olive oil, citrus juices, a head of garlic and salt.  The oil will become emulsified and the garlic should be finely minced. 
2. Dress and toss the lettuce with the dressing above, making sure all pieces of lettuce get coated in this delicious dressing.
3. Cut the exterior from the cantaloup then deseed the center and cut into large bite sized squares.
4. Prepare the prosciutto, trim the fat if desired and cut thin sheets in half or quarters.
5. Place all of the components of the salad together on top of the lettuce.  I start with the melon then place the prosciutto in bunched up bites, then sprinkle the pine nuts, shaved cheese and pomegranate seeds. 
6. Garnish with one whole jalapeño pepper. 

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Notes:

-This salad is gluten-free and could be dairy-free if you choose a vegan cheese or omit the cheese all together.

-I decided to add in the pomegranate seeds solely for the aesthetic appeal of the pop of color and contrast.  You could leave this out if you would like to simplify. 

Alternatives:

If you would like to make this salad dairy-free, you could find a hard vegan cheese that would still be able to be shaved or grated on top.  I have found a good hard vegan cheese that is a parmesan replacement and it was very good.  You can try it here:  vegan cheese!

If you have a favorite kind of nut you could swap the pine nuts out for that!

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Health benefits:

Raw garlic-Amazing antibacterial and antiviral.  A powerful anti-inflammatory.  You don’t have too many opportunities to get a ton of raw garlic in your system and this dressing has a ton of raw garlic that is poured all over the bed of greens.  

Jalapeños- Great for stimulating the liver into detoxification and helps produce bile and hydrochloric acid in the gut.

Citrus- Alkalizing and detoxifying.

Lettuce-Stimulates peristalsis the wave like motion of the intestines to help move food down.  Mineral rich and alkalizing.

Cantaloup- Hydrating and filled with vitamins and minerals. Easily digestible.

Pine nuts- Healthy omegas.

Pomegranate seeds- Amazing amount of antioxidants and great for heart health.

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This melon and prosciutto salad is one of my favorite summer salad recipes, I hope you try this one out or try a variation of it by adding your own favorite additions.

If you do make this incredibly rewarding and healthy salad recipe, rate this recipe or share to your Pinterest or socials if you so desire!  

You may also enjoy this hearty and delicious stuffed portobello salad which features the same dressing and even uses the dressing to marinate the semi-dried tomatoes and portobello.

Check out this taco salad with an edible bowl, perfect to make with the kids for a fun afternoon.

I would love to hear your unique salad ideas!

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