This Cucumber Melon Salad with basil and fresh mozzarella is dressed in a simple olive oil and lime juice dressing. It’s cool and refreshing, perfect for a hot summer day, and takes mere minutes to prepare!
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This salad is a love letter to my millennial girls. Was anyone else OBSESSED with the “cucumber melon” scent from Bath and Body works? Well, now you can eat it, haha!
While this salad doesn’t have that same intoxicating aroma, the combination of cucumber and melon is absolutely delicious and so refreshing in this summer salad.
I used a Tuscan style cantaloupe for this, but you can use any melon you want – honeydew, watermelon, etc. Cut it up, add some cucumbers, fresh mozzarella balls, fresh basil, lime juice and zest, olive oil, salt, and pepper, and you have the easiest salad ever!
Now the question – do I need a recipe designed around the “warm vanilla sugar” scent?
Enjoy!
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Melon – I used a Tuscan Cantaloupe, but a regular cantaloupe or honeydew would work well. See below for some notes on watermelon.
- Cucumber – I recommend English or Persian cucumbers, as the skin is more delicate and there are less watery seeds. If using a regular cucumber, definitely peel and seed it.
- Fresh basil – mint would also be great here, or a combo!
- Fresh Mozzarella pearls – these little balls come in a container and are super convenient. Cut or tear a log of mozzarella if you can’t find the little pearls. Feta would be delicious as well.
- Lime juice and zest – or lemon!
- Olive oil, salt, and pepper
How to make Cucumber Melon Salad
Just toss the cantaloupe, cucumber, fresh mozzarella, basil, lime juice and zest, olive oil, salt, and pepper together in a bowl and mix together! If you want, you can drizzle a little more olive oil on top before serving, along with garnishing with some whole basil leaves.
Using watermelon in this salad
Watermelon would be delicious in this cucumber melon salad! But because of its high water content, the salad will get soggier and wetter faster. Be sure to serve it right away if you use watermelon.
And one more note on watermelon: it’s excellent in a salad with mint and feta as well as with cilantro and queso fresco!
Tasty Tip
Play around with the ingredients! Add prosciutto for a salty addition. Feta cheese would be great instead of mozzarella. And mint would be delicious instead of basil.
Other summer salad recipes
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Cucumber Melon Salad
Ingredients
- ½ cantaloupe melon cut into roughly ½-inch pieces (or another melon, such as honeydew)
- 1 English cucumber seeds removed and peeled if you want, and cut into roughly ½-inch pieces.
- 8 oz. fresh mozzarella pearls or torn fresh mozzarella from a log, or cubed feta cheese
- ¼ cup fresh basil leaves roughly chopped
- juice and zest of one lime about 2 tablespoons juice and 1 teaspoon zest
- 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil plus more if needed
- salt and pepper
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Instructions
- Add the cut up ½ cantaloupe melon, cut 1 English cucumber, 8 oz. fresh mozzarella pearls (drained of any liquid first), chopped ¼ cup fresh basil leaves, juice and zest of one lime, 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste (I used about ½ teaspoon kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon fresh cracked pepper) to a large bowl. Stir together, taste, and adjust seasoning if necessary.
- Transfer to a smaller, prettier bowl if you're feeling fancy like that. If you have some leftover basil leaves, you can garnish the top with them and drizzle the whole thing with a little more olive oil. Serve.
Notes
- Melons: there are a gazillion types of melon out there. Feel free to use your favorite, or a combo! Watermelon would be great too, but keep in mind the salad will get watery fast if you use it, so be sure to serve right away.
- Mint can be used instead of or in addition to basil, if you want.
- This salad is best served immediately, but the leftovers are definitely worth keeping. Melon and cucumber are both pretty watery, and the salt in the salad will draw the salt out of them over time. You may find your leftovers get a bit soggy/watery. I recommend just draining any large amount of liquid from the bottom, and adjusting with more oil, lime juice, salt, and pepper as needed.
- Add torn pieces of prosciutto for a salty, protein-packed punch!
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition Information Disclaimer
The provided nutrition information is my best estimate and reflects one serving of the recipe (total servings indicated at top of recipe card). It does not include any added sodium from seasoning to taste, any optional ingredients, and it does not take brands into account. I use an automatic API to calculate this information. Feel free to calculate it yourself using one of these tools:
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