Savory melon dishes are kind of tricky: Melon has both a high water content and an often aggressive sweetness, so it doesn’t always match well with other ingredients.
I have to say that I’ve never cared for the classic combination of prosciutto and melon. The prosciutto tastes too salty and the melon too sweet and too watery for both ingredients to marry.
What I prefer is a version of Thai Melon Salad, a perfect late-summer dish with a bright, tart, spicy dressing. Rather than wastefully cutting the melon using a melon baller as is customary, I prefer to thinly slice the melon and then fan it out on a large platter.
Fried shallots, which are a staple of Thai cuisine (they even use them to garnish a coconut custard!), are usually bought in a can rather than made at home, and you can find them at most Asian supermarkets.
Spicy Melon Salad
Serves 4-6
Ingredients
Juice and zest of 2 limes
2 tablespoons sweet chili sauce
Few dashes hot sauce
3 tablespoons Thai fish sauce
1 garlic clove, finely minced
1 tablespoon canola oil or cold-pressed peanut oil
1 canteloupe or honeydew melon, not too ripe
3 tablespoons finely julienned red onions
Handful mixed cilantro, Thai basil and mint leaves
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
Pinch salt
Optional: Fried shallots for garnish
Directions
To make the dressing: in a small bowl, whisk together the lime juice and zest, chili sauce, hot sauce, fish sauce, garlic and canola or peanut oil. Set aside.
With a sharp knife, cut off the top and bottom of the melon. Standing the melon on one of its cut sides, carefully trim off the peel. Halve the melon vertically and scoop out sides. Placing each melon on its flat side, thinly slice each melon half into 10-20 slices, making sure to keep the melon half together.
Carefully transfer each melon half to a large platter and fan it out. Sprinkle the red onions, then the dressing, then the herb leaves, salt and sesame seeds. Garnish with the fried shallots, if using.
Serve immediately.
