Melon, prosciutto and asparagus salad with creamy balsamic dressing

A while back, one of my very best friends was in Spain. He posted on Facebook that the combination of cantaloupe melon and jamón serrano was unexpectedly delicious, and ever since then, I've been wanting to try it. Sweet fruit and salty ham? Seriously? Why didn't I think of this before?!

So recently I bought myself a book with a bunch of salad recipes, and one particular recipe caught my eye. It called for melon, prosciutto and asparagus, and I've made prosciutto covered asparagus before and both Bruno and I loved it. Adding the melon could only make everything better! And I was right :)

I used the book's picture for inspiration, but created the salad on my own. We chose to eat it with a feta-stuffed chicken breast to complete the meal.

Melon, prosciutto and asparagus salad
Servings: 2

1/2 bag Dole Spring Mix salad (or any spinach and baby lettuces)
1/2 asparagus bunch
1/4 cantaloupe melon, peeled, deseeded and sliced
1 1/2 oz prosciutto (2 - 4 slices)
1/8 cup shredded cheese (optional)
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp sour cream
6-8 drops natural orange juice
salt to taste

Bring lightly salted water to a boil. Add the asparagus and lower the heat to medium. Boil over medium heat for 5 minutes, until tender. Drain the asparagus and plunge into icy cold water. Drain again completely.

Split the prosciutto slices into about 12 long pieces. Arrange them on a baking sheet and broil for 2 minutes. Take them out, wrap them around the cantaloupe slices and sprinkle some shredded cheese on top. Broil again for 2 minutes, or until cheese melts.


To make the dressing, combine the balsamic vinegar, sour cream, orange juice and salt. Mix very well!

Add half the lettuce mix to each plate, half the asparagus, and half the melon slices. Lightly drizzle the dressing on top and you're good to go!

Now, since we had feta in our chicken, I didn't put any feta on the salad. But I think it could be much better with a little goat cheese, feta or shaved Parmesan, and the cantaloupe/prosciutto slices didn't need the melted shredded cheese on top at all. They were so delicious all on their own!

Bruno really enjoyed this salad, and gives it a:

8.2 / 10