Our Cantaloupe Salad is another healthy dessert option to try, made with sweet summer melon, blackberries and juice grapes that have been tossed in a delightful sweet and sour dressing!
Cantaloupe, Rockmelon, sweet melon, what’s the difference? ?
Absolutely nothing! They are all one and the same thing it just depends on your geography!
- Rockmelon in Australia or New Zealand
- Sweet Melon or Spansek in South Africa
- Cantaloupe everywhere else in the world!
The difference is between the European and the North American varieties. European cantaloupes have a light grey greenish skin that is slightly ribbed with sweet flesh. North American cantaloupes have net-like skin and subtle flavour.
How to tell if cantaloupe is ripe
The best way to tell if your cantaloupe is sweet and ripe is by the smell, if it has a wonderful sweet-smelling aroma at the end (the blossom end) then chances are the flesh inside will also be sweet. Avoid cantaloupes with a fermented smell as these are overripe.
Other things to look out for are..
- Colour - the netting should be creamy beige in colour and the melon skin should be tan yellow, if it is green then it is not ripe. Avoid any melons with dark coloured spots, or any bruising. You will see slight discolouration at the field spot (where the cantaloupe rested on the ground while growing).
- Touch - it should feel firm to touch without any squishy bits and the netting should be raised and not smooth. Also, choose one that feels heavy for its size as this also means that it is ripe.
- Sound - when you tap your cantaloupe it should sound deep and not hollow.
You will need...
How To Make This Salad
1START WITH THE SWEET & SOUR DRESSING
Whisk to dissolve the lemon juice and sugar, then let stand to allow the sugar to completely dissolve.
ADD INGREDIENTS IN BOWL OR JAR WHISK OR SHAKE DRESSING & LET STAND
NOTE: If you prefer a little more sweet in your sweet n sour then add another tablespoon of brown sugar.
2PREP FRUIT
Rinse the blackberries in a colander under gently running cold water and allow to drain while you are preparing the rest of your ingredients.
Wash the grapes, shake dry and remove from the stems.
RINSE BLACKBERRIES LET STAND TO DRAIN WASH GRAPES PICK GRAPES FROM STEMS
3CUT MELON
With a large spoon scoop out the seeds of your melon then cut your melon into quarters.
Then using a sharp knife remove the rind (you should just have the light orange flesh remaining).
WASH MELON AND USE SPOON... ...TO SCOOP OUT THE SEEDS LAY MELON FACE DOWN AND HALVE REMOVE MELON SKIN WITH SHARP KNIFE RINSE AND DICE MELON
4ASSEMBLE SALAD
Rinse the melon under cold water to remove any seeds, shake dry then dice into bite-sized chunks.
Place all the fruit into a large mixing bowl, give the dressing one more whisk, pour-over and mix the fruit in the dressing.
Arrange in a salad bowl and chill until ready to serve. Great to serve with vanilla yoghurt or ice cream.
ADD INGREDIENTS TO BOWL WHISK & POUR OVER DRESSING MIX WELL TO COMBINE
Can i make thi salad ahead?
Yes, in fact, I recommend you make it an hour or two in advance and keep it chilled in the fridge for a nice cool and refreshing salad.
- To prepare the day before cut up the melon, remove the grapes from the stems, pat everything dry and keep in an airtight container in the fridge.
- You can also, shake up the sweet and sour dressing in a glass jar and keep in the fridge.
- Toss everything together with the blackberries just before serving.
This is a great salad for lunchboxes!
what about the leftovers
The leftovers can still be enjoyed for several days if stored in an air tight container in the fridge.
Looking for more fruit salad inspiration?
Ingredients
- 850 grams cantaloupe/rockmelon (½ a melon, 30oz)
- 350 grams green seedless grapes (12.35oz, 2.5 cups))
- 250 grams blackberries (9oz, 2 cuos)
- ¼ cup lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon brown sugar*
Instructions
- Whisk to dissolve the lemon juice and sugar, then let stand to allow the sugar to completely dissolve.
- Rinse the blackberries in a colander under gently running cold water and allow to drain while you are preparing the rest of your ingredients.
- Wash the grapes, shake dry and remove from the stems.
- With a large spoon scoop out the seeds of your melon then cut cut your melon into quarters.
- Then using a sharp knife remove the rind (you should just have the light orange flesh remaining).
- Rinse the melon under cold water to remove any seeds, shake dry then dice into bite sized chunks.
- Place all the fruit into a large mixing bowl, give the dressing one more whisk, pour over and mix the fruit in the dressing.
- Arrange in a salad bowl and chill until ready to serve. Great with vanilla yoghurt or ice cream.
Video
Notes
Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.
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