Melon is one of the main fruits of the hottest months of the year. A slice of melon is always welcome, but with this food you can prepare other delicious and somewhat more elaborate dishes. Melon recipes are a good opportunity to taste this refreshing ingredient full of numerous benefits and properties.
It is mostly made of water, so it is the perfect fruit to hydrate yourself when the sun comes out. In Spain we have the Melon de la Mancha variety, with Protected Geographical Indication. Due to its juicy and sweet taste we can find recipes with melon that have reinvented the most classic ones, such as gazpacho. Although there is nothing more delicious than melon with ham, today we get into the kitchen to prepare some totally different recipes with melon (but just as good).
Melon cream soup with crunchy ham
- Melon (1), potato (large, 1), onion (1), cream (125 ml), natural yogurt (1), chicken broth (500 ml), Serrano ham (75 g), olive oil
The combination of melon and ham is very recurrent in many recipes. These are two ingredients that merge beautifully on your mouth. This is one of the freshest and creamiest melon recipes. We start by poaching the onion in a pan with oil after previously cutting it into small pieces. After this, we add the melon also cut into pieces and the chicken broth. Leave on the heat for 20-25 minutes.
Crush the mixture of the frying pan in a mixer with the cream and the yogurt. Keep it in the fridge. Continue cutting the Serrano ham into small thin slices. Put them in the oven at 180ºC for 20 minutes until they are crunchy. Place on top of the cream and enjoy.
Rice with melon and shrimp
- Long grain rice (300 g), sweet corn (1 can), melon (medium), shrimp (peeled, 200 g), lettuce, olive oil, salt
Melon recipes are perfect for lunch or dinner. This rice with melon and prawns is a hearty dish but not heavy. The first step is to boil the rice and cut the lettuce into small pieces. With a spoon we take out the inside of the melon and keep the base to use it as a salad bowl. This way we will have an original and fun presentation.
Place the rice, the melon in pieces, the lettuce and the corn in the bowl-melon. Mix. Add salt to the shrimp and sauté in a frying pan. Stir and leave to cool in the fridge until serving.
Matcha and melon smoothie
- Melon (medium), matcha tea (1 tsp), water (10ml), ice cubes (crushed)
To save us from the heat, nothing is more nutritious than a smoothie of matcha tea and melon. Start by removing the pulp and seeds from the melon. Crush the melon. Continue dissolving the matcha tea with the water and add the mixture to the glass of the blender with the melon. Crush again until an integrated mixture is obtained. In a long glass we put crushed ice and pour our smoothie full of vitamins. One of the most pleasant recipes with melon to take as a snack.
- Pasta (200 g), melon (100 g), ham (70 g), cheese (to taste), oil and salt
A simple and very refreshing recipe. The first step will be to boil the pasta (macaroni, spirals…). Drain. With a ice-cream spoon we cut the melon into little balls. Place the pasta, melon, cheese and ham on a plate. To integrate the mixture, season it with oil and salt. Cool in the fridge but serve some time after taking out the dish.
- Rocket, melon (1 slice), feta cheese (to taste), ham, vinegar, grapefruit (1), olive oil, salt and pepper
Among the recipes with melon, this summer salad will surprise you with its citrus flavour. We prepare the vinaigrette with the grapefruit juice, the vinegar, the pepper, the salt and the olive oil. Cut the melon and feta cheese into square pieces. Put everything in a bowl together with the slices of ham. Pour the vinaigrette according to your taste.
Text: María Jesús Colombo