Food and Recipes Fruits Melon Cantaloupe Salad With Chile-Lime Dressing Be the first to rate & review! This crunchy, refreshing cantaloupe salad gets a kick from a chile-lime dressing. By Julia Levy Julia Levy Julia is an experienced cook with a demonstrated history of working in the publishing industry. She is skilled in catering, food & beverage, event planning, and menu development. She tests and develops recipes in the DotDash Meredith Test Kitchen for Southern Living. Southern Living's editorial guidelines Published on June 4, 2024 Recipe tested by Southern Living Test Kitchen Recipe tested by Southern Living Test Kitchen The Southern Living Test Kitchen has been publishing recipes since 1970, four years after the first issue of Southern Living Magazine appeared on newsstands. The Southern Living Test Kitchen team includes a team of professionals with deep expertise in recipe development, from pastry chefs and grilling experts to nutritionists and dietitians. Together, the team tests and retests, produces, styles, and photographs thousands of recipes each year in the state-of-the-art test kitchen facility located in Birmingham, Alabama. Learn more about the Southern Living Test Kitchen Rate PRINT Share Close Photo: Victor Protasio, Food Stylist: Emily Nabors Hall, Prop Stylist: Lydia Pursell Active Time: 20 mins Total Time: 20 mins Servings: 8 Inspired by the flavors of Mexican fruit cups (vasos de fruta), this cantaloupe salad combines ribbons of juicy cantaloupe, crunchy jicama, and thinly shaved cucumber to create a fresh summer salad. The bright and acidic dressing uses chamoy, a Mexican sauce made from fruit, chiles, and lime juice. It adds both a vibrant red color and tang to the dish. To top everything off, the salad is finished with fresh cilantro, salty cotija cheese and Tajín for additional texture and flavor. If you can’t find chamoy or Tajín at your grocery store, pick them up at your local Mexican market. When looking for the best melon, pick one that is tan in color; feels heavy for its size; sounds solid when tapped; and has a sweet, floral scent. The skin should be firm with a little give, like a pineapple. Ingredients 1 (2 3/4-lb.) cantaloupe 1 (1 lb., 3-oz.) jicama 1 cup thinly shaved cucumber (from 1 [11-oz.] cucumber) 1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion (from 1 [8-oz.] onion) 1/4 cup plus 1/2 Tbsp. Chamoy sauce 1/4 cup canola oil 2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice (from 2 limes) 2 Tbsp. honey 1 tsp. kosher salt 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves 1 oz. Cotija cheese, crumbled (about 1/4 cup), plus more for serving 1 tsp. chili-lime seasoning (such as Tajín) Directions Peel cantaloupe, and cut in half lengthwise. Reserve 1 cantaloupe half for another use. Remove seeds from remaining half, and thinly slice lengthwise into 1/8-inch-thick slices with a mandoline (you’ll have about 4 cups). Peel jicama, and cut in half lengthwise. Reserve 1 jicama half for another use. Thinly slice remaining half lengthwise into 1/16-inch-thick slices with mandoline (you’ll have about 1 cup). Arrange cantaloupe, jicama, cucumber, and onion slices decoratively on a platter. Whisk together Chamoy, oil, lime juice, honey, and salt in a small bowl. Drizzle half of the dressing over cantaloupe mixture on platter. Sprinkle salad with cilantro, Cotija, and seasoning. Serve immediately alongside additional Cotija and remaining dressing. Rate It Print