I am transported to a Mediterranean seaside restaurant every time I make my Melon and Prosciutto Salad, even when it’s gray and rainy outside. The bold flavors mixed together hit all the taste buds, and while this recipe serves 4, you’ll probably want a few portions all to yourself. You’ve been warned! But that’s not necessarily a bad thing because it is full of good-for-you ingredients you can feel good about eating at any time.

Palate-Pleasing Ingredients

There’s a lot going on in the recipe, but the flavors complement each other perfectly. The dressing is a simple, traditional blend of olive oil, lemon juice, honey, and mustard, with just a pinch of salt and pepper.

The salad itself is a mix of 2 different types of sweet melons, cantaloupe and honeydew, mixed with salty feta cheese and delicately flavorful prosciutto. Chopped almonds and basil round out the dish. 

At RunBuzz, we generally recommend block feta rather than crumbled, which contains anti-clumping ingredients and is often dryer, with the best varieties often being from Greece or Cyprus. 

Prosciutto is a type of Italian ham that has not been cooked, cured, or smoked. Thinly sliced with beautiful streaks of fat throughout its vibrant pink to dark red flesh, it has a pleasant flavor that makes the sweet and salty flavors of melon and cheese really shine. 

How to Serve Melon and Prosciutto Salad

Melon and Prosciutto Salad can make a nice, light lunch on its own on hot summer days when you don’t feel like cooking or eating a rich meal. With a respectable 12 grams of protein and a good amount of fiber, it is great on its own. It also makes a great appetizer before an Italian soup like a veggie-loaded minestrone with pesto or oven-roasted chicken and vegetables.

An eye-catching way to prepare this salad is to cut the feta into cubes while using a melon-baller for the fruits. Drizzling the dressing onto the dish and tossing at the last minute right at the dinner table makes for a stunning presentation. We eat with our eyes first, after all!

Delicious Variations and Substitutions

Common variations include using mozzarella instead of feta. The flavor will be different, and the saltiness of the feta will be replaced with the creaminess and slight tanginess of mozzarella, but both versions are equally delicious. With mozzarella, you can play around with different shapes. Larger balls can be cut into cubes or use smaller ones like bocconcini or ciliegine, which would look great with the round melon pieces. 

You can also use other fruits. Watermelon is a traditional addition to feta salad, and peaches or figs make great seasonal substitutes. Mint can be used instead of basil, and if you wanted to make this a complete meal, you could easily add a cooked grain like quinoa. And finally, for a lower fat version, skip the dressing altogether, and you will still have a salad packed with flavor.

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