Healthy Melon Recipes to Keep You Cool All Summer

June 12, 2018
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Melons are juicy, fleshy fruits that, when perfectly ripe, can transport your taste buds to a tropical paradise. Food that can do that for you deserves better than to be cubed up and served as a deli side to customers who are reluctantly looking for something fresh instead of fried. Fresh melons are filled with B vitamins, potassium, magnesium, and fiber. Welcome them into your kitchen, and use some of our favorite melon recipes to prove their value on your plate.
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Summer Melon Salad

Photo: Greg Dupree
View Recipe: Summer Melon Salad

To achieve beautiful, crater-free spheres, press the cup of the melon baller flat and firmly into the flesh of a halved seeded melon. Then turn 180 degrees (or 360 degrees if the melon needs additional shaping), and lift.

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Melon Mimosa Ice Pops

Photo: Randy Mayor
View Recipe: Melon Mimosa Ice Pops

An adults-only pop, this is the perfect treat to beat the heat for summer dinner parties.

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Melon Salad with Savory Granola

Photo: Jason Varney
View Recipe: Melon Salad with Savory Granola

Heirloom Charentais melons have smooth, gray-green skin and bright orange flesh that is supersweet and fragrant. For a substitute you can use a combination of honeydew melon and cantaloupe.

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Summer Melon with Lime and Rum

Photo: Erin Kunzel
View Recipe: Summer Melon with Lime and Rum

This is a lovely dessert, the rum adding a nice French touch (because the French were colonialists in sugar cane countries, they have a huge penchant for rum). Here, along with ginger, it adds rich depth. To ease prep, purchase precut melons in the produce section; some stores offer a mix of melons in a single pack.

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Summer Melon and Ham Salad with Burrata and Chile

Photo: Iain Bagwell
View Recipe: Summer Melon and Ham Salad with Burrata and Chile

"This is an obvious play on melon wedges wrapped in prosciutto," Christensen says. "Here the melon is sliced to the same thickness as the ham. Instead of 'making melon taste good,' it puts two beautiful things in balance. I love the balance of the musky fruit with the salty-sweet ham and the creaminess of the burrata cheese (you can sub fresh mozzarella). You have a lot of strong flavors at play, and the cheese sets the canvas for the whole thing.”

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Sangria for Every Season

Photo: Robbie Caponetto
View Recipe: Summer Melon Rose Sangria

Whether it’s sipped poolside on a hot summer day or savored at a festive holiday soirée, sangria highlights seasonal fruit—from sweet, juicy peaches in summer to delightfully bitter blood oranges in winter. While the ingredients can vary, this Spanish drink typically contains a dry red, white, or sparkling wine, a sweetener, fresh fruit, and a small amount of brandy. Read on for our top sangria recipes, and our budget-friendly wine picks under $15.

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Shaved Melon Salad with Lemon-Sherry Dressing

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Shaved Melon Salad with Lemon-Sherry Dressing

For the best flavor, choose a good bottle of sherry. For a nutty taste, go with amontillado; for something sweeter and slightly richer, use oloroso. If you don't have a mandoline, you can cube the melons or scoop them with a melon baller; we did not have luck shaving the melon with a vegetable peeler.

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Cantaloupe Margarita with Hint of Mint

Photo: Hector Sanchez
View Recipe: Cantaloupe Margarita with Hint of Mint

Want to make a bigger batch? Doubling the melon should yield enough juice to make 6 drinks. Process and strain in 2 batches, and then mix up 3 times the rest of the ingredients in a pitcher.

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Cantaloupe and Grilled Fig Salad

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner
View Recipe: Cantaloupe and Grilled Fig Salad

The contrasting flavors of the sweet fruit and tangy lime juice plus the variety of textures in the fruits, nuts, and vegetables create an intriguing and beautiful first course.

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Grilled Chicken with Cucumber-Melon Salsa

Photo: Gentl & Hyers
View Recipe: Grilled Chicken with Cucumber-Melon Salsa

A combination of green and orange melons is colorful and speaks to the beauty of summer. We left the seeds in the jalapeño for some heat, but you can discard them for a milder dish.

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Cantaloupe-White Balsamic Sorbet

Photo: Jennifer Causey
View Recipe: Cantaloupe-White Balsamic Sorbet

This sorbet is refreshing with an almost creamy texture. The white balsamic vinegar is subtle, but it adds depth of flavor that enhances the melon.

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Shrimp Kebabs With Mint and Melon Salad

Greg DuPree
View Recipe: Shrimp Kebabs With Mint and Melon Salad

The shrimp is balanced with slight sweetness, bitter char, and tangy lime—a combination that complements the refreshing melon. Pick the ripest melons you can find; they should be firm but slightly soft and fragrant, especially near the stem end. Round out this dinner with your favorite grain or the Herb-Scented Rice Salad.

Gina Homolka is the founder of skinnytaste.com and @skinnytaste.

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Cantaloupe-Basil Float

Photo: Hector Sanchez
View Recipe: Cantaloupe-Basil Float

This grown-up float gets classy with sweet wine and a hit of fresh basil (you can substitute sparkling grape juice or cider). Blending the frozen cantaloupe makes the drink wonderfully frothy and refreshing. Freeze the fruit ahead; then blend and assemble just before serving. This staff favorite can't be beat when you want a seasonal summer drink to serve at a backyard barbecue, al fresco dinner party, or as a quick weeknight pick-me-up. One batch serves six, so double or triple for a group as needed. Garnish with basil springs and cubed cantaloupe to add to the summertime appeal.

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Prosciutto and Melon Salad with Cantaloupe Vinaigrette

Photo: Greg Dupree
View Recipe: Prosciutto and Melon Salad with Cantaloupe Vinaigrette

Rice vinegar and cantaloupe in the dressing completely reset this ham-and-melon classic. Peppery arugula adds bite.

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Arugula Salad with Melon and Prosciutto

Photo: Becky Luigart-Stayner
View Recipe: Arugula Salad with Melon & Prosciutto

The arugula's light spiciness is balanced out by the sweet and salty combo of melon and prosciutto.

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Summer Melon Rosé Sangria

Photo: Robbie Caponetto; Styling: Claire Spollen
View Recipe: Summer Melon Rose Sangria

For a playful presentation, use a melon baller to scoop the fruit into bobbing orbs.

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Prosciutto-Melon Toast

Photo: Hector Manuel Sanchez
View Recipe: Prosciutto-Melon Toast

The classic combo of prosciutto and melon, just in toast form. 

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Tomato-Melon Soup

Photo: Randy Mayor
View Recipe: Tomato-Melon Soup

Ripe honeydew melon is the star of this gazpacho, which is complemented by the fresh flavor of mint. It's the perfect soup to start a summertime meal with friends and family.

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Triple Melon Cream Pops

Photo: Caitlin Bensel
View Recipe: Triple Melon Cream Pops

Turn the bumper crop of peak-season melon into crowd-pleasing cream pops. Floral honeydew, musky cantaloupe, and candy-sweet watermelon provide dazzling pastel colors, while a bit of yogurt lends creamy appeal.

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Grilled Pork Chops with Two-Melon Salsa

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View Recipe: Grilled Pork Chops with Two-Melon Salsa

Cover this quick and easy grilled pork recipe with a tasty salsa that uses summer's freshest fruits and flavors to round out the meal.

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