Cantaloupe Salad with Jalapeño Dressing

A platter with sliced watermelon, cantaloupe, cucumber, and red onion. Surrounding the platter are small bowls of feta cheese, walnuts, pepper, red pepper flakes, and a dish of honey. Sunlight casts shadows across the scene.

Cantaloupe Salad with Jalapeño Dressing

A fresh cantaloupe salad with shaved watermelon, zucchini, red onion, crumbled feta, and chopped walnuts, finished with a blended jalapeño dressing made with olive oil, apple cider vinegar, honey, garlic, and chives. This sweet, spicy, and refreshing summer salad is ready in just 20 minutes.

Course Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine Greek-Inspired, Mediterranean-Inspired

Keyword cantaloupe, watermelon

Prep Time 20

Optional: marinating zucchini 30

Total Time 50

Servings as a side salad

Calories 467kcal

Author Maria Koutsogiannis

Ingredients

*Optional: marinate the zucchini in ¼ tsp salt and then 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar and 1 tbsp white vinegar, noted below in instructions

For the salad

1 small cantaloupe halved, seeded, cut into wedges, skin removed and then thinly sliced
1 small watermelon skin removed, shaved thinly into strips
1 medium zucchini thinly sliced rounds
¼ red onion very thinly sliced
½ cup crumbled feta cheese
⅔ cup roughly chopped walnuts

For the dressing

2 jalapeño peppers halved, stemmed, and seeded (if large, just use 1)
¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp honey
1 garlic clove
2 tbsp minced fresh chives
1 tsp kosher salt
Pinch of chili flakes

Instructions

Optional: If desired, marinate the zucchini: Add the zucchini to a bowl with 1/4 teaspoon salt, toss well and let sit for 30 minutes. After 30 minutes, drain the zucchini in a colander and then gently squeeze the zucchini slices to get out the excess water.
Make the dressing: To a blender add the jalapeño peppers, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, honey, garlic clove, minced fresh chives, kosher salt and pinch of chilli flakes. Blend on high until well combined and smooth. Taste and adjust with salt and pepper if desired.
For the salad: On a platter or in a large bowl, add the thinly sliced cantaloupe, shaved watermelon, zucchini and thinly sliced red onion. Drizzle 3/4 of the dressing over the salad and gently toss a few times. Let sit for 5 minutes. Finish the salad with the crumbled feta cheese, finely chopped walnuts and drizzle over the rest of the dressing.

Video

Notes

If you can't find a small watermelon, you could use another small cantaloupe or even try a small green melon.
If you love this recipe, try our Fresh Watermelon Salad

Nutrition