Skip to main content

Shaved Melon Salad with Mint Sugar

This salad looks like tricolore papardelle pasta, with vibrant ribbons of pink, green, and orange melon. If you don’t want to bother to make the melon shavings, just use a melon baller or cut the fruit in cubes; the salad will still be beautiful. This is one that both children and adults go nuts for, and the mint gives it an extra burst of freshness.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    4 to 6 servings

Ingredients

1/2 (about 1 pound) small seedless watermelon (see Cook’s Note)
1/2 (about 1 pound) honeydew melon (see Cook’s Note), seeds removed
1/2 (about 1 pound) cantaloupe melon (see Cook’s Note), seeds removed
1/2 cup packed fresh mint leaves, finely chopped, plus mint sprigs, for garnish
1/2 cup turbinado or other coarse sugar

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Cut each melon lengthwise into 1-inch-wide slices. Hold the melon slices at the peel end and, using a sharp vegetable peeler, shave the melon flesh in long ribbons into a large serving bowl.

    Step 2

    In a small bowl, combine the mint leaves and sugar. Add the mint sugar to the shaved melon and gently toss.

    Step 3

    Arrange the melon salad on individual salad plates. Garnish with fresh mint sprigs and serve.

  2. Cook’s Note

    Step 4

    The melons are easiest to shave into ribbons when they are slightly underripe and chilled.

Giada at Home by Giada De Laurentiis. Copyright © 2010 by Giada De Laurentiis. Published by the Crown Publishing Group. All Rights Reserved. Giada De Laurentiis is the star of Food Network's Everyday Italian and Behind the Bash. She attended the Cordon Bleu in Paris, and then worked in a variety of Los Angeles restaurants, including Wolfgang Puck's Spago, before starting her own catering and private-chef company, GDL Foods. The granddaughter of movie producer Dino De Laurentiis, Giada was born in Rome and grew up in Los Angeles, where she now lives.
Read More
Turn humble onions into this thrifty yet luxe pasta dinner.
Put that half-full tub to use with recipes that go beyond the Italian American classics.
This one-pot dinner cooks chicken thighs directly on top of a bed of flavorful cilantro rice studded with black beans for a complete dinner.
Keep this easy frittata recipe on hand for quick breakfasts, impressive brunches, and fridge clean-out meals.
This easy, one-skillet chicken stroganoff features tender chicken breasts, savory mushrooms, and a creamy Dijon-crème fraîche sauce—perfect for weeknights.
Like Sri Lankan cashew curry and vegan stuffed shells.
Use this simple vinaigrette to dress a plate of greens, some steamed potatoes, or anything else that strikes your fancy.
Filberts, goobers, scaly bark nuts: Explore the world beyond almonds in this guide.