Cantaloupe Melon Salad

I’m continually looking for ways to turn simple fruits and veggies into something a bit more exciting and unexpected. Making this beautiful melon salad with buttery green olives and pistachios is a favorite way to turn a cantaloupe into a restaurant worthy dish. Also a tasty way to add essential vitamins and minerals, hydration and of course loads of flavor to your meal!

If you browse my site you’ll see that I enjoy using fruit in unexpected ways, such as adding cucumbers and sweet peppers to stone fruit, or tossing jicama and tajin with mango. Making fruit more interesting helps my nutrition clients increase their intake, which can in turn help make their nutrition goals feel a lot more attainable.

Fruit is filled with water, vitamins and minerals, fiber and of course flavor. It’s a great way to enjoy something sweet, without consuming a ton of calories. So it’s good for you and can make weight management and weight loss a lot easier. That’s why I will continue to post fun and unique ways to add more fruit to your diet, including this amazingly refreshing and flavorful cantaloupe fruit salad.

Jump to:

• Ingredients for Cantaloupe salad
• How to Make Melon Salad
• Recipe Variations for Cantaloupe Fruit Salad
• Serving and Storage Directions
• More Delicious Summer Salads
• Cantaloupe Salad with Pistachios and Green Olives

Ingredients for Cantaloupe salad

• ½ cantaloupe melon, seeded and cubed into 1″-2″ pieces. May double the recipe and use a whole cantaloupe if you need a larger amount for entertaining. You may also use a honeydew melon, however I love the contrast of colors using cantaloupe.
• ⅓ cup thinly sliced red onions. Pro tip, soak red onions in a ice water bath for a few minutes before tossing into the salad, to help remove some of the sharp bitterness.
• ¼ cup pistachios, roughly chopped. Other nuts like pine nuts or peanuts could also work, however we love the buttery flavor and contrast color of using pistachios.
• ¼ cup buttery green pitted olives such as Castelvetrano or Mission green olives. We do not recommend using stuffed olives or green tangy olives like Manzanilla. The olives should be sliced or torn in half.

To make the dressing and garnish

The salad calls for a very light smattering of dressing, just to enhance the flavors of the fruit, nuts and olives. As opposed to a leafy green salad which can read too dry if not enough dressing is tossed in, the fruit and other ingredients are naturally juicy and just need their flavor highlighted.

• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil. Something with a bit of flavor is preferred, rather than just a neutral oil.
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice, about ½ of a large lemon.
• ½ teaspoon honey or maple syrup, just to add the tiniest bit of sweetness
• Sea salt and black pepper to taste
• 2-3 tablespoons fresh chopped herbs like Italian parsley, mint or basil, to serve as a garish.

How to Make Melon Salad

Begin by adding the sliced red onions to a small bowl of ice water, allowing them to soak for about 10 minutes. This extra step removes the bite and bitterness of raw red onions. This makes them more mellow and enjoyable when added to a salad, and doesn’t detract from the other flavors. After a few minutes, simply drain from the bowl and set aside.

In a medium serving bowl, add the dressing ingredients and whisk together. This will make it easier and quicker to toss the salad ingredients in the light dressing.

Add the cantaloupe to the bowl, along with the olives, pistachios, red onions and fresh herbs. Toss gently in the dressing and add sprinkle with additional sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper if needed.

Salad can be made up to 3 hours in advance and stored covered in the fridge till ready to serve. Alternatively, if you’d like to prepare the salad well in advance, add all ingredients to the bowl except the dressing, and toss together with the dressing before serving.

Recipe Variations for Cantaloupe Fruit Salad

While this seems like a very straightforward recipe you wouldn’t be able vary too much, there’s a surprisingly number of ways you can vary it!

Add protein for more substance: turn this salad into a fun new main by adding grilled chicken, shrimp, prosciutto or sliced salami. All choices would fit perfectly with the salads flavor profile.

Cheese please! Including crumbled feta or a mild cheese like mozzarella balls adds a bit of protein and creamy goodness.

Toss in veggies, like thick sliced Persian cucumbers, heirloom tomatoes, avocados or arugula. You can also make it even more herby by increasing the quantity of fresh chopped herbs used.

Serving and Storage Directions

The salad tastes best slightly chilled, so if time allows, chill in the fridge for about 20-30 minutes before serving. A nice touch when serving is to include extra helpings of chopped pistachios and fresh herbs so that guests can add more toppings if they wish.

The dressing is light enough to where leftovers can be stored in the fridge for a bit without the salad wilting. However, the oil and citrus will draw out even more juices from the fruit so eventually if stored too long, the salad will get too watery.

For best results, store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a day, maybe 2 days max.

More Delicious Summer Salads

• Stone Fruit & Fresh Veggie Salad
• Berry Breakfast Salad
• Mango, Jicama and Tajin Salad
• Classic Fruit Ambrosia Salad
• Lemon Orzo Pasta Salad