I wasn’t going to post this recipe, but since it’s the end of the summer, it’s kind of our last opportunity to get locally grown cantaloupe and cucumbers. So why not stretch out summer a little bit longer and make fruit salad?
I wasn’t sure how this recipe would turn out, to be honest. It sounded like a mishmash of flavors and I couldn’t imagine how it would taste. Since I have so many Hungarian black peppers and mint leaves to use, I thought I’d take a risk and try it anyway. I’m glad I did–it’s so different and it makes a refreshing, light side for a heavier meal. Of course, it helps that I managed to pick out the perfect cantaloupe to use in this–any recipe involving melon is only as good as the fruit you use! Last summer, a vendor at the farmers market taught me how to tell which melons were ripe and which ones weren’t and I’m getting good at it now. (The secret, in case you were wondering, is not thumping the side, but smelling the blossom-end. You might look like a crazy sniffing all the cantaloupes at the supermarket, but it works. Really!)
A fresh, spicy fruit salad slightly adapted from Everyday Food's Grilled Fish with Spicy Cantaloupe Cucumber Salad.
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp. soy sauce
- 2 tbsp. fresh lime juice
- 1 tsp. minced peeled fresh ginger
- 1 small red or green jalapeno, halved lengthwise, seeded and thinly sliced
- 1/4 c. torn fresh mint leaves
- 1 English cucumber, halved and thinly sliced
- 1/2 cantaloupe, peeled, seeded, flesh thinly sliced
Instructions
- Whisk together soy sauce, lime juice, and ginger in a small bowl.
- In a large bowl, combine jalapeno, mint leaves, cucumber, and cantaloupe. Add dressing and stir to coat.
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Never would have thought of this combination. Sounds really good.
Me neither–and the original recipe called for fish sauce which, IMO, would have been even stranger. But it tastes good and that’s what matters!
That sounds so unique and tasty! The picture is gorgeous and so fresh and summery!
Thanks! I’ve been making lots of fruit salads with watermelon and cantaloupe lately because this is the tail-end of availability for the local ones. I’m going to miss summer!
looks so refreshing! I have melon, need to get cukes!
It is! We love having it on a hot day. And it’s nice not to have to make a side that needs to be cooked too.