Prosciutto and Melon
Slices of ripe cantaloupe draped with prosciutto, finished with black pepper, olive oil and mint.
Photograph credit: prosciutto and melon · CC0 1.0 · Rawpixel
A dinner for four on a hot evening, and a plate with only two things on it. The success of prosciutto and melon rests on both being excellent, since nothing else is there to cover a poor one.
Choose a melon that smells sweet at the stem end and gives slightly when pressed there. A pale, scentless melon tastes of water. Chill it for an hour before serving, as it is better cold. Cut the slices thick, about 2 cm. Thin slices turn limp, and thick ones hold the ham.
Take the prosciutto out of the fridge 10 minutes ahead. At room temperature the fat softens and the flavour opens up. Drape the slices loosely over the melon, so that the edges ruffle rather than lying flat.
Finish with a few turns of black pepper, a thread of olive oil and some torn mint leaves. The contrast of sweet, salty, cool and peppery is the whole dish. Serve at once on cold plates, since the melon starts to weep within 20 minutes.
What People Ask
How long does Prosciutto and Melon take to make?
10 minutes of preparation and of cooking, plus 1 hour of Chilling the melon, so allow 1 hour 10 minutes from start to finish. The recipe serves 4.
How to Make Prosciutto and Melon
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Chill the melon for 1 hour. Take the prosciutto out of the fridge 10 minutes ahead.
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Arrange 2 melon slices on each of four cold plates and drape the prosciutto loosely over them.
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Drizzle with the olive oil, grind over the pepper and scatter with the torn mint.
Tips That Matter
- Choose a fragrant melon.
- Chill the melon but not the ham.
- Cut thick slices.
- Serve at once.
Pairs Well With
Sparkling wine · Crusty bread · Dry white wine · Fresh figs
Keeping and Reheating
Best eaten at once.
The Numbers per Serving
Per serving, an approximate calculation from the ingredient list. Treat it as a rough guide: part of the energy comes from foods, or weights per item, with no recorded source. How the figures are worked out.
Your notes on this recipe
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Compiled by Turab
Checked by script for timings, diet labels and nutrition arithmetic. How the recipes are checked.
First published ; last changed .
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