Honeydew, Fig, Prosciutto and Feta Salad with Mint Vinaigrette – a delicious summer salad with a lovely balance of sweet and salty. The minty vinaigrette pulls it all together with a refreshing zing! Best when melons are in season, it is a great addition to your summer alfresco meal.
So originally I had another recipe planed for today’s post. You’ll still see that one later this week, but after making this salad last night I had to post it.
This salad is freakin’ GOOD.
Like, right after eating it I turned to Joel and said, “I think this is my favourite salad ever.” I’m now obsessed! I even had a second helping of it because I just couldn’t resist. It definitely is going to be lunch today too once I get this post up.
Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever really cared for honeydew. I typically ignore it when its on a fruit platter. I don’t dislike it but I just don’t really care about it. It’s usually bland. It’s whatever. However, I’ve learned that melons are best enjoyed during their peak at this time of year. The difference in flavour is amazing! All i want now is melon. And when you combine it with sweet figs, salty prosciutto and feta, and the most wonderful mint vinaigrette it transforms into something magical.
This salad just screams summer to me!
Originally I came up with the idea for this when I saw last week’s CSA share was to include honeydew. As I mentioned above, I’m not totally into honeydew so at first I wasn’t too excited about this, and figured I would just throw it into a smoothie or something.Then I decided I was going to look it up in this awesome book I have called The Flavor Bible.
This book is my go-to when I want inspiration on what to do with a certain ingredient. You look the ingredient up and it gives a list of other foods, cuisines, and even flavours go well with it. For many of them it lists combinations of pairings, has quotes from chefs about the ingredient, and dishes with the ingredient at their restaurants. It’s a very unique cookbook and I find it super interesting to see all the different things an ingredient can go with! I am often surprised by some of it’s suggestions which I love. It has been a wonderful tool to use and I highly suggest you get it to use for inspiration as well! The link to get it on Amazon is below (please note I may make a small commission if you decide to purchase the book after clicking the link below. Thanks for your support!).
Anyhow, figs, prosciutto and mint were some of what it suggested so I went with it!
Well turns out they gave me a cantaloupe, not a honeydew in my CSA share. Which I was fine with..but now I had this idea for a salad in my brain. And yeah, cantaloupe would also probably be good in this salad but I had it in my head I needed to use honeydew, so when I was at the store anyways I picked one up.
So that’s how this salad was born.
This minty vinaigrette really pulls all the flavours together. I think it’s my favourite part of the salad (ok the whole thing is my favourite but if I had to choose just one part I might choose this). Not going to lie, I may have enjoyed it so much I had a spoonful or two of it on it’s own.
If you don’t have white balsamic vinegar, you could sub in regular balsamic as well and it would work just fine. A little secret I have is that I actually used coconut white balsamic vinegar when I made this. I didn’t have any regular white balsamic and didn’t want to have to buy another bottle of balsamic because I already have like six in my cupboard. So coconut was used and while it’s not a necessity for this recipe Ii you have a specialty store near you that sells flavoured vinegar such as this, go buy some right now. Seriously, it’s super delicious and surprisingly versatile. If you’re really worried what else you can use it for, here’s my recipe for Chili Lime Coconut Balsamic Shrimp.
Anyways, to make things simple you can just use regular white balsamic. (Sorry for such a long explanation).
I hope you guys enjoy this salad as much as I did!
If you try this recipe for honeydew, fig, prosciutto and feta salad with mint vinaigrette please let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, post on the Zest & Simmer Facebook page or share photos on Instagram using the hashtag #zestandsimmer. I’d love to see it and love hearing from you guys!
Honeydew, Fig, Prosciutto and Feta Salad with Mint Vinaigrette
Ingredients
For the salad:
- 1/2 honeydew melon , cubed
- 8 figs , quartered
- 4 slices prosciutto , cut into 1" pieces
- 1/2 cup cubed feta
For the vinaigrette:
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 4 tbsp white balsamic vinegar
- 1 tbsp honey
- 2 tbsp chopped mint
- 1/2 tsp dijon mustard
- 1/4 tsp sea salt
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 1/4 shallot , minced
Instructions
- In a food processor or small blender add all ingredients for the vinaigrette and blend until smooth. Set aside.
- In a large bowl add the honeydew, figs, prosciutto, and feta. Pour vinaigrette over entire thing and stir to thoroughly coat. Serve immediately or keep covered in fridge until ready to serve.
Notes
