Sweet balls of cantaloupe sub for tomatoes and pair nicely with salty shaved prosciutto in this simple twist on the classic caprese salad.
With my garden tomatoes still clawing their way toward sweet fruit-ition, I’m patiently awaiting to harvest my ‘mates to make my favorite caprese salad with my very own, homegrown tomatoes. Okay, who am I kidding. I’m not patient at all.
That’s why I’m jumping the line and moving forward anyway by subbing tomatoes with local, sweet cantaloupe. Don’t worry tomatoes, I’ll be back. But until then, this salad is totally turning my head and making me stare with each and every bite.
I am a huge fan of cantaloupe, especially when I eat it with cottage cheese, but I really like it best with a generous sprinkling of salt. Kosher salt. Salt brings out the sweetness of the fruit, similar to how it does with chocolate. This recipe calls for seasoning the dressing with salt and freshly ground black pepper, but odds are, if you’re like me, you’ll be wanting another sprinkle or two, too.
There are several varieties of fresh mozzarella balls you can readily find at your local grocery store’s finer cheese section. I prefer Wisconsin’s Bel Gioioso mozzarella balls. For this recipe I chose their pearl size to add variety in size and contrast to my melon balls. You could use the more available ciliegine, but I would suggest you halve the balls first to make them go farther in the salad.
Prosciutto is a style of dry-cured Italian ham, very thinly sliced and quite delicate. I get my favorite brand at Costco (surprise! Costco wins again!) because I can get two packages for the price of one from the grocery store. It comes with paper dividing each supple slice as they have a tendency to melt together. Salty prosciutto is easy to tear and add to the salad, adding a subtle smokiness that perfectly compliments the sweetness of the cantaloupe and the honey-laced dressing.
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a comment below or take a photo and tag me on Instagram or Twitter with #foodiecrusheats.
Cantaloupe and Mozzarella Caprese Salad
Ingredients
- 1 cantaloupe , halved and seeded
- 1 8- ounce container mozzarella balls , (I used pearl size balls)
- 8-10 slices prosciutto , shredded into large pieces
- ¼ cup basil leaves , thinly sliced
- ¼ cup mint leaves , thinly sliced
- 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 ½ tablespoons honey
- 1 tablespoon white balsamic vinegar
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Use a melon baller to scoop balls from the cantaloupe halves and add to a large bowl. Add the mozzarella balls and the torn prosciutto. Sprinkle with the basil and mint leaves.
- In a small bowl, whisk the olive oil, honey and white balsamic vinegar together and season with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Drizzle over the cantaloupe and toss to coat. Season with more salt and pepper and additional herbs to taste.
Nutrition
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Can this be made to order or is it better to make night before?
Hi Angela, we recommend making this the day you plan to serve it (it will keep chilled in the fridge for several hours, but it’s best eaten as fresh as possible). Hope that helps. Enjoy!
Excellent summer appetizer! It’s perfect, thank you.
Looking to make this soon. Wondering if I. Ake it a day ahead should I combine all ingredients or wait till the last minute to combine?
Hi Susan! We’d suggest waiting until the last minute to combine.
Can you add any other fruit to this sala to make more colourful
You could add whatever fruits you would like!
I just copied this recipe to a card so I can try it out. But nowhere in the recipe does it say how many servings it makes. Will you please comment on that? Thank
so taste and soo good, wowww.
That looks so good. We could add tomatoes to it. where is the prosciutto?
Cantaloupe is so good too! I need to find white balsamic –sounds yummy. My wife and I will be making this later, thanks Heidi!
Rex – since your post was a year ago, not sure if you found white balsamic or not. Depending on where you live, you may see it labelled as white balsamic condiment, rather than as white balsamic vinegar. I think that may have something to do with Italian labelling laws for balsamic vinegar. I believe that Bertolli makes a white balsamic vinegar. Good luck! El
Thank you for this recipe, Heidi…I made it today for a lunch with friends on the patio and it was perfect, everyone loved it! I couldn’t find white balsamic vinegar at my local grocery store so had to substitute white wine vinegar, but other than that I followed the recipe to the letter and it was delicious! Thanks again.
Can I Make this salad the night before for a 10am Brunch?
this is delish. now i make to bring wherever i need to bring a dish this summer. you can double the recipe for a larger group. i got all my ingredients except mint and basil at Aldi’s. score!
was looking for some healthy recipe, thank you! found these in the Healthy tab of course, but they all look perfectly suited for summer!
Made it for our nieces bridal shower brunch and it was a huge hit!!!
What else did you serve with the salad? Am looking at this for a bridal shower brunch as well….
My new summer salad absolutely yummylicious!
I made this excellent salad twice in two weeks. The combination of the melon, cheese and prosciutto is perfectly complemented by white balsamic and honey. Bravo!
Made this twice within 3 days I was so in love with it!! Tastes like summer and is so refreshing while we are all under this “heat dome” Brava!!!
Would this work at a wine tasting patty?
So easy and so godd!!!
Thank’s a lot
What a great appetizer for a party! So easy and looks so delicious!
Made the melon prosciutto salad for a game of thrones season premier party and it was the perfect dish! Loved by all, it was a delicious hit!!!!
Heidi, this definitely makes you a (melon) baller!
Costco is yes always and forever!
ahhhhh, so refreshing!
Prettiest salad ever! And what a flavor combination. This would be the best thing ever to eat on an afternoon when it’s just too hot to turn on the stove.
Prosciutto and melon is such a summer classic (so is Caprese, for that matter!). Love this blend of the two!
this is a totally brilliant take on the age-old prosciutto wrapped melon! so fresh looking..perfect for these crazy hot days!
Thank you! Allie
Cantaloupe is so good too! I need to find white balsamic –sounds yummy.
I need more cantaloupe in my life. Yum!
love how it looks with the little melon balls!
and also the mixture of cantaloupe and mozzarella and prosciutto with basil and mint sounds and looks awesome.
i really want to make this salad…
greetings, leah.
What a great appetizer for a party! So easy and looks so delicious!