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Epicurious

Salted Melon Salad With Jalapeños and Feta

4.0

(1)

Salted Melon Salad With Jalapeños and Feta on a grey plate placed on a wood surface
Photograph by Peden + Munk, food styling by Adriana Paschen, prop styling by Ceci Garcia

Picking a perfectly ripe summer melon is like folding a fitted sheet—forever a struggle. Here’s a salad that can save even the most mediocre specimen. A simple combination of sharp shallot and hot green chile generously dressed with lemon, olive oil, and salt will transform that subpar fruit into something juicy and joy-inducing. Salty crumbles of feta help too. Instead of cantaloupe, try honeydew, Hami melon, or even ripe papaya or mango, which will also take brilliantly to this treatment.

Recipe information

  • Total Time

    25 minutes

  • Yield

    4 servings

Ingredients

1 large shallot, thinly sliced into rings
1 large jalapeño, thinly sliced into rounds
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
½ small cantaloupe (about 1½ lb.), rind and seeds removed, cut into 3x1" pieces
1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt
3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
6 oz. feta, broken into large pieces
Flaky sea salt

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Toss 1 large shallot, thinly sliced into rings, 1 large jalapeño, thinly sliced into rounds, and ¼ cup fresh lemon juice in a medium bowl to combine. Let sit 5–15 minutes to lightly pickle.

    Step 2

    Add ½ small cantaloupe (about 1½ lb.), rind and seeds removed, cut into 3x1" pieces, 1 tsp. Diamond Crystal or ½ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and 3 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil to shallot mixture and toss to combine. Let sit 5–10 minutes.

    Step 3

    Transfer salad to a large shallow bowl or platter and top with 6 oz. feta, broken into large pieces. Drizzle more oil over and sprinkle with flaky sea salt.

TagsSideDinnerLunchGluten FreeNut FreeEasyQuick30 Minutes or LessSaladCantaloupeMelonFruitFetaCheeseDairyBon Appétit
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Reviews (1)

Back to TopTriangle

  • The marinade was delicious. Very intrigued to use soda in future recipes.

    • Claire

    • Baltimore, MD

    • 6/15/2024

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