Triple Melon Salad with Blue Cheese and Lemon Vinaigrette.
This savory triple melon ball salad is perfect for summer! Juicy, fresh melon drizzled with lemon vinaigrette, topped with blue cheese and toasted walnuts. A heavenly sweet and savory combo that I can’t get enough of!
Raise your hand if you’re obsessed with any sweet and savory combo!
Both hands raised here. I for SURE love a good savory and sweet salad or side dish. It brings so much to the table and you get the best of both worlds.
Savory melon is a dream for me!
First, the melon is perfect. It’s so juicy and refreshing. So wonderful on a hot summer day – so cooling and just pleasant to eat. Especially on those days when it’s so hot that you barely have an appetite!
And then, we go and add a lemon vinaigrette, so creamy blue cheese and super crunchy walnuts. It’s FANTASTIC.
P.S. can we talk about how pretty the chive blossoms are? My chives come back every year in full force and this year I had SO MANY chive blossoms. In fact, I still have a good bit. I love using them as garnish or in dishes this time of year. They are just so pretty and of course – flavorful.
Let’s chat about the rest of this beautiful melon bowl though. We’ve got watermelon, cantaloupe and honeydew. You could even swap the honeydew for cucumber, FYI! A pretty little bowl of melon that just screams summer.
I love it.
The vinaigrette/blue/nut combo comes from my green bean salad that we adore. Easily one of the most made recipes in my kitchen every summer. It’s crisp, refreshing and satisfying.
I knew I’ve love the combo on something sweet too, like maybe watermelon wedges. Savory melon is nothing new here, after all. I’ve made the melon mosaic salad with hot honey, this marinated melon mozzarella salad and even this savory watermelon wedge salad with orange dressing.
In fact, I might eat melon in a savory situation more than sweet every single summer. I’m not complaining!
I use a melon ball scoop for the little melon balls because I think the presentation is so pretty. It’s not necessary though! Of course you can just cut the melon into squares or cubes or chop it up however is easiest for you.
If you’re looking for a sub for blue cheese, I would go with feta. It’s still hearty enough to hold up on its own with the melon and not get soggy or weird. And still tangy enough to have a really great contract with the fresh melon balls. We love it that way too.
A fabulous salad, side dish or even snack!
Triple Melon Ball Salad
Triple Melon Salad
Ingredients
- 2 cups fresh watermelon balls, or cubes
- 2 cups fresh cantaloupe balls, or cubes
- 2 cups fresh honeydew balls, or cubes
- ⅓ cup crumbled blue cheese
- ⅓ cup toasted walnuts, chopped
- fresh herbs, like chives or basil, for topping
- chive blossoms, for topping
lemon vinaigrette
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon honey
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
- kosher salt and pepper
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped herbs, like chives, basil, etc
Instructions
- Note: to toast the walnuts, I throw them in a nonstick skillet over medium heat and toss for 4 to 5 minutes, until golden and fragrant. Don’t leave alone - they burn easily! Then I let them cool and chop them.
- Combine the watermelon, cantaloupe and honeydew on a large bowl of plate. Pour the vinaigrette over and toss. Crumble on the blue cheese and toasted walnuts. Sprinkle on fresh chives or chive blossoms.
lemon vinaigrette
- In a bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, honey and mustard with a big pinch of salt and pepper. Whisk in the oil until the dressing is emulsified. Whisk in the herbs. Any extras of this stays great in the fridge for a few days - it just has to be whisked and stirred before using!
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I appreciate you so much!
Decided that’s my summer color palette.
One Comment on “Triple Melon Salad with Blue Cheese and Lemon Vinaigrette.”
Should you wait to put the dressing on until you’re ready to serve or can it go on immediately? I was worried about it getting soggy.
TIA!