Salted Melon Salad With Jalapeños and Feta

Originally published by Bon Appetit on May 21st, 2024

Written By

 

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 3×1″ 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

Step 1

Toss 1 large shallot, thinly sliced into rings1 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 3×1″ pieces1 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.