Serves 4
Time: 15 minutes
This has pretty much been a summer of simplicity for me. In some ways it’s forced, like the fact that my kitchen has been a construction zone for 2 months. But it’s also a choice, because my garden tomatoes have been so juicy all season that it doesn’t take much effort to appreciate them in a sandwich with basil.
So when a friend (ok, actually my Instagram hero, @cramepete) brought this homegrown melon over the other day, I instantly knew what I wanted to do with it. As I sniffed its ripe aroma like a grandma in the produce aisle, I thought of bright, crisp Vietanamese flavors, like mint and lime, with some avocado thrown in for good measure.
Even though it’s perfectly legit to enjoy a melon with nothing but a spoon and some candlelight, it only takes a few extra steps for something even a little more special. You can serve this as an afternoon snack, or alongside a more elaborate Southeast Asian inspired meal. Maybe a red curry or pad thai? You get the picture. Oh and to get even more pictures, check out @cramepete’s Instagram feed today, where you can see his photo of this salad! You can also follow me on there @isachandra. Because you love pics of my cats and my feet.
Notes
Ingredients
2 teaspoons agave syrup
3 cups peeled cantaloupe chopped into 3/4 inch pieces
Pinch salt
1 avocado chopped into 3/4 inch pieces
1/4 cup lightly packed mint leaves (chopped if leaves are very large)
Sriracha hot sauce to serve, if you’re looking for some spice
This is absolutely gorgeous! I’ve already forwarded this recipe to a dozen friends and can’t wait to give it a try!! x -@TallulahLaurent
This sounds fabulous! What a great combo!
Sounds perfect…I can’t seem to get enough cantelope these past months :))
will definitely serve this at weekend brunch. Local melons are at the farm stands and I have so much fresh mint in the garden. Just need to buy some limes.
That looks so delicious! I love the addition of the avocado! mmm 🙂
Yay! I am going to make this soon! We had a lovely supply of melons this season!:)
And here I thought the only thing that really goes well as an addition to various melons was vodka. I never would have thought of avocado.
So excited about this! It sounds amazingly refreshing.
Ohhh yes, I could really imagine this going well with a Thai curry! And it’s a good breakfast idea too. I eat anything that I like the sound of at breakfast – regardless of whether or not it is *supposed* to be a breakfast food 🙂
I think I’ll be making this tonight…..for dessert. Sounds wonderful!!
What do you do with the hot sauce?
This MIGHT make me like melons. And that’s saying a lot.
I made this tonight, Isa, with these 2 for a $1.00 cantaloupes I bought at our local market. The flavors were crazy and perfect together. I wish I had made a double batch to pack in our lunches tomorrow. The sriracha was the ideal foil…great suggestion.
Thanks again. Your blog, site, and books all kick ass.
Isa, you can make the simplest ingredients taste amazing and that’s why you are the best chef in the world. Vegan, veggie or carnivore all love your dishes. Here in UK we have had a wet and cold past few weeks so here’s hoping we get at least a bit of summer! My melon plants died, even tho they were in poly tunnel. Can’t wait for your new book xx
Thank you!
This fruit dish looks tasty but on beautiful summer weekends I have been craving quiche! Do you know of a good vegan, perhaps low fat, quiche recipe?
When is the book coming out? Here it says Fall 2013 but on Vanessa’s website it says this fall.
It’s Fall 2013!
Anything with melon, count me in!! This is such a fun, simple recipe.
Pretty! I am going to try this with pineapple 🙂 I love sweet things with sriracha.
I tried this tonight as a side dish to some asian-style soup and it’s absolutely delicious! Thanks for such a great recipe!
This salad looks fresh and healthy. I’m going to try this soon.
i never cared for cantelope or melon. but i am also a rather persistent person and i want to like cantelope. every summer i give it a try. but i have always tried it plain. this year, i’m gonna try it again – but this time i’m making this salad. i like everything else in it – so maybe, just maybe my desire to love cantelope in some way will be rewarded.
Heading over from Vanessa’s blog — love your space and congrats on the book deals 🙂
So simple and it looks pretty incredible. I love that you threw chunks of avocado in there, as it really is one of my favorite fruits. I have a melon in my kitchen begging for this treatment!
Hi! This is not about this post although it looks yummy…I need biscuit help! I made your lovely navy bean and leek cassoulet from the Veganomicon cookbook; it looks amazing ( wish I could post a pic here, if you write me back at my email address I will send pic because it is lovely) but anyway, the biscuity part did not come out as well as I hoped (although it is still quite tasty.) I did the measuring part perfectly but it was way too mushy, so I kept adding flour, but later the biscuits did not get as fluffy as they normally do. I figure that it is 1) that the margarine was not cold, or 2) a typo? It said 1 1/2 cups flour. Was that short? I am planning to remake it for a potluck with carnivores this coming Friday the 21st. I want to have it perfect. Please help me make my biscuits impressive enough for Texans ( okay that sounded kind of odd but you get the point):)
Thanks for posting the recipe, it is light and refreshing. Great as a snack!!
I just made this tonight and it was so good! Thanks for the recipe!
I just made this tonight and it was so good! Thanks for the recipe~
I can’t get the Sriracha sauce around here. Is the hot optional? Would a regular Asian Chili Sauce work too?
Thanks for sharing all those amazing recipes!
That looks so delicious! I will make this soon.