When you’re looking for a can’t beat salad to bring to a party, barbecue, or picnic, might I humbly suggest this riot of color on a plate? It’s sweet from the cantaloupe, salty from the cotija, and savory from the cucumber, scallion, radishes and jalapeno.
And when you put all of those flavors together? Well, it makes your tastebuds dance a jig of joy. And it also makes every other dish on the table say, “I like the cut of your jib!”
It’s just that good.
Once a summer (maybe twice if we’re supremely lucky), we get a stunningly gorgeous melon from our CSA. They’re always sweet and magically fragrant. So, when we see one in the box, that’s always a truly happy day.
But, also the most nerve wracking.
When you have something that’s so precious, sure you can just cut it up and eat it for breakfast. But, you could also eat half for breakfast, and turn the other half into something to feed your friends and family. It’s too precious to hoard.
So, that’s when I decided to make it into a big ole platter of sweet and savory salad. Because it’s August and we’re awash in summer produce, I didn’t have to wrack my brain too hard to figure out what to pair it with.
Scallions.
Jalapenos.
Cucumber.
Radishes.
Cotija.
And voila!
There was a salad that was worthy of a feast with the best people in the world.
So, if you have some melon that you’d love to spotlight, give this a shot.
I’ll bet you’ll be happy you did.
Sweet and Savory Cantaloupe Salad
Ingredients
- 1 ½ cups melon balled or cubed
- 1 cup diced cucumber
- 1 jalapeno seeded, deveined, and diced
- 2 scallions white and green parts, thinly sliced
- 2 small radishes diced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lime juice
- ½ teaspoon ground white pepper
- ½ teaspoon flaky sea salt
- 2 tablespoons crumbled cotija
Instructions
- Place the melon, cucumber, jalapeno, scallions, and radishes in a large bowl or on a large platter.
- Drizzle with olive oil and lime juice. Season with white pepper, flaky salt, and top with cotija.
- Serve immediately.
- Note: If you want to make the salad ahead of time, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, and sprinkle with cotija right before serving.
