Mint And Melon Fruit Salad Recipe

Fruit salads tend to be a summertime thing, and this salad makes use of some of summer's most bounteous (or at least largest) kinds of produce — three types of melon. Recipe developer Michelle McGlinn calls this salad "Perfectly refreshing for hot summer days," describing it as "lightly sweet, bright, and very refreshing." What's more, the salad is quite portable, too, making it the kind of thing you could easily take on picnics or trips to the beach.

One technique McGlinn feels makes her salad particularly attractive is using a melon baller to shape the melons, but if you do not own one, she does say that "Working the melons into spheres is an optional technique" so you could simply cut the fruit into chunks, instead. If you do chop, rather than ball your melon, be aware that you'll likely have a lot more salad. As McGlinn admits, when using a melon baller, "a lot of the melon goes unused." If you do opt for the aesthetic approach, don't just let the unused melon go to waste. McGlinn recommends cutting the leftover fruit into chunks, saying it makes for "a lot of good, albeit odd-looking, melon."

To make this fruit salad, you'll be combining 4 different types of fruit: cantaloupe, honeydew melon, watermelon (seedless, please!), and blueberries. You'll also need fresh mint, both for flavor and for decorative purposes. And for the salad dressing, you'll use a simple mixture of maple syrup and lemon juice.

If you're not a huge maple syrup fan, McGlinn says "You can definitely use honey instead." She also says that blackberries, raspberries, strawberries, or grapes can be used in place of the blueberries. She does not recommend skipping the extra fruit altogether and going with an all-melon salad, though, as she says it adds "variety and extra sweetness between the layers."

If you opt for balling the melon, McGlinn recommends you employ a different size melon baller or cookie scoop for each melon. The reason for this is because the different-sized balls will add visual appeal to the salad.

The way to scoop the melon balls is to first halve and de-seed the melons. Then, press the melon baller into the flesh around the center of the melon and half-twist it around until you've scooped out a sphere. (This may take a little practice if it's not something you do all the time.) Once you've gotten as many scoops as you can out of a layer of melon, cut about an inch off the fruit so you'll have a fresh surface for scooping. Repeat the process until you've scooped as much melon as you can, then move on to the next melon.

Mix all of the melon balls (or chunks) in a large bowl, then add the blueberries. Mix the lemon juice and maple syrup together in a small bowl and drizzle them over the salad. Toss the salad gently to make sure all of the ingredients are well-combined. Allow the dressing to soak into the salad for at least 5 minutes. 

Divide your mint leaves into two piles. Chop the mint in one pile fairly finely, then sprinkle it over the salad. Toss the salad once more to distribute the mint throughout. The remaining mint is to be scattered over the top of the salad to make it look extra pretty.

This fruit salad can be used as a side dish or even a dessert, although if you want something a bit sweeter McGlinn suggests "It makes for a great topping on frozen yogurt and semifreddo" and would work well with ice cream or sherbet, too. She also notes that it could be "perfect for eating with breakfast," perhaps used to top a bowl of yogurt or some cereal or granola.