This Melon, Fig, and Prosciutto Salad is a fresh Italian salad to brighten your summer patio fare. It’s a great summer salad idea!
The post came about from a friend traveling back home to Canada from her year (or 2? – horrible friend over here) teaching English in Africa. She posted on social media about the first thing she ate when she arrived back onto Canadian soil (welcome home A!).
It was Starbucks, but let’s not dwell on that. Her post made me think about the foods that resonate with you because of where they are from. It made me immediately think back tour honeymoon in Italy and this amazing salad we had there. This post was created … Melon, Fig and Prosciutto, a rift on the traditional melon, prosciutto and basil salad we ate throughout our honeymoon.
Melon, prosciutto and basil were a classic salad we saw all over Italy. And we loved it, we ordered it almost everyday. In this recipe I used a Tuscan Melon, which is a sweeter, softer version of cantaloupe, but either will work wonderfully. I added toasted pin nuts for some crunch and they compliment the figs very nicely.
Truthfully, I really wanted to use burrata in this summer salad for its soft creamy texture, but the bocconcini is not to be under sold. It’s firm texture and flavour added to this dish immensely since the melon, fig and prosciutto are on the softer side.
Fresh mozzarella or burrata are great alternatives if you’re not into bocconcini. I used a balsamic glaze as the “dressing” for this salad. It’s a light drizzle on top that provides a hint of extra acid to the dish, but still lets the ingredients speak for themselves. If you don’t have balsamic glaze and aren’t interested in buying some, mixing a small amount of balsamic vinegar with honey will work.
I could sit on the patio with a crisp glass of cold white wine eating this for supper everyday this summer. It’s a perfect way to dine alfresco and I’m looking forward to making it at a BBQ soon. What’s your favourite way to dine alfresco?
Fresh Italian salad to brighten your summer patio fare with this easy summer salad idea.
- 1/4 cup pine nuts
- 1/2 medium cantaloupe or Tuscan melon, deseeded, skin removed and thinly sliced
- 3 fresh figs, halved or quartered
- 100 gr (6 thin) slices prosciutto
- 100 gr 4 small bocconcini balls, halved
- 8-10 fresh basil leaves
- 1 drizzle balsamic glaze (white or red)
- 1/4 tsp flaky sea salt
- 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
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In a dry skillet, toast pine nuts over medium heat for about 5 minutes. As soon as they start to brown, remove from heat. (They will quickly go from slightly browned to burnt). Remove from heat and set aside.
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Arrange layers of melon, figs, prosciutto, bocconcini and basil on a platter. Top with toasted pine nuts and drizzle with balsamic glaze. Season lightly with salt and pepper.
Enjoy! xo
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