This bright and easy Melon & Prosciutto salad combines sweet summer cantaloupe with salty prosciutto, peppery arugula, fresh basil and creamy coconut yogurt for a dish that’s sure to please. It’s AIP, paleo, and Whole30 compliant.
Cantaloupe and prosciutto is one of my favorite pairings. In my dairy-full days, I enjoyed this salad with mozzarella balls. While it’s still SO great without the cheese, I was determined to find a suitable AIP replacement. The full fat thick and creamy coconut yogurt really does the trick. You’ll want to make sure it really is thick and creamy, though. Not all coconut yogurts are created equal. If the yogurt is too thin, it will be a total runny mess.
I like to slice half the melon and wrap the individual pieces in prosciutto and prepare cute melon balls out of the other half. No melon baller? No worries. It truly doesn’t matter whether you slice the melon up, use a melon baller or cut it into cubes. The taste will be equally as delicious!
This cantaloupe and prosciutto salad is absolutely amazing on its own or as an appetizer. It also pairs so well with summer BBQ faves like Balsamic-Glazed Chicken Wings and Grilled Pork Chops with Cherry Compote!
Here’s what you need for this Summer Melon & Prosciutto Salad
- arugula – peppery arugula is the perfect match for the soft, sweet, creamy and savory flavors that this salad’s got going on.
- fresh basil – don’t skip on this one. while dried herbs are often a good substitute, you’ll want to make sure you use fresh basil here.
- cantaloupe – you’ll want to pick a cantaloupe that’s sweet, heavy for its size and the stem should have a little give to it. You can also substitute honeydew melon, watermelon or a combination of the two!
- prosciutto – you’re going to want to make sure that your prosciutto is AIP compliant, so preservative free and cured only with salt
- unsweetened coconut yogurt – You’re going to want to ensure that the ingredients are AIP compliant and that the yogurt is really thick and creamy. If you’re in the U.S. I recommend the Culina brand, and in Canada I absolutely adore the brand Simpla. It is the creamiest!
- lemon zest, olive oil and sea salt – these are the simple ingredients for the garnish/dressing.
FAQs
Can I make this salad ahead of time?
Since I wrap the prosciutto around slices of the cantaloupe in my preparation of this salad, I do so just before serving. Otherwise, the juices from the cantaloupe will seep out and things will get soggy. You can, however, prep all the components and store them separately until ready to serve.
Can I use a different type of melon?
Yes! Honeydew melon is a great replacement for cantaloupe here. You could also do a combination of watermelon, cantaloupe and honeydew melon.
Can I omit the coconut yogurt?
Totally! The coconut yogurt adds that delicious creaminess to this salad but it is still great without it. Avocado is a delicious creamy alternative. If you have reintroduced dairy into your diet, you could add the OG mozzarella.
Check out these other amazing AIP salads and vegetable sides:
- Mango Arugula Salad
- Summer Paleo Pasta Salad
- Shaved Vegetable Salad
- Grilled Asparagus with Orange
- Charred Broccolette and Cabbage Salad
If you try this Summer Melon & Prosciutto Salad, I would appreciate it if you would give it a star rating and short review. Also, be sure to snap a picture of the finished product and share it with me on Instagram by tagging @healmedelicious.
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Summer Melon & Prosciutto Salad (AIP, paleo, Whole30)
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 4 – 5 servings 1x
Description
This bright and easy Melon & Prosciutto salad combines sweet summer cantaloupe with salty prosciutto, peppery arugula, fresh basil and creamy coconut yogurt for a dish that’s sure to please. It’s AIP, paleo, and Whole30 compliant.
Ingredients
- 1 small ripe cantaloupe
- 4–5 oz AIP compliant prosciutto
- 3 cups fresh arugula
- 1/2 cup full fat, unsweetened coconut yogurt
- 3 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 tsp salt (flaky Maldon salt, Himalayan salt or sea salt)
- 1/3 cup fresh basil, loosely packed
Instructions
- Cut the cantaloupe in half lengthwise from the stem to the base. Remove seeds using a spoon.
- Cut one half of the melon into slices. Then, use a pairing knife to remove the green rind from each slice. Use melon baller to create melon balls out of the other half of the cantaloupe.*
- Wrap one slice of prosciutto around the middle of each slice of melon.
- On a large serving platter, lay down the arugula.
- Arrange prosciutto-wrapped cantaloupe slices, balled melon and any remaining pieces of prosciutto on top the bed of arugula.
- Dollop the thick coconut yogurt onto the salad.
- Just before serving, drizzle with olive oil and salt and garnish with fresh basil.
- Serve immediately.
Notes
* Don’t have a melon baller? Simply slice the entire melon, and cut half into cubes/chunks for some diversity in shape/texture in the salad.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Category: Salads
The perfect summer salad! Melon is tough for me since you never know if it will be good or not until you cut into it. Too soon and it’s a flavorless disappointment but when it’s perfectly ripe fresh melon is divine. When I cut open my cantaloupe and saw how perfect it was I knew I wanted to make this salad. The surprise was the coconut yogurt pairing. It really added the creaminess that elevated this from being good to being great. I haven’t been able to find a good coconut based yogurt where I live so I make my own coconut kefir yogurt. By straining it I’m able to get the thickness I want and it was perfect in this salad. Thanks for another wonderful recipe and for helping me to find another use for my yogurt!
Oh I’m so glad to hear this. Thank you Jodi for always taking the time to leave a review, I really appreciate it and know other readers do too ?