Melon and Mint Salad
This salad is a delicious accompaniment to cold meat such as baked ham, or to braaied meat, especially lamb, but it also makes a wonderfully refreshing starter: scrape out all the remaining flesh from the green-flesh melon, then cut each shell into 3 wedges. Trim the skin slightly so that the wedges will sit flat, then chill until required. Scoop a portion of the salad into each shell, pour a little of the dressing on the plate around the shells, and garnish with some of the skinned tomatoes and mint sprigs.
Ingredients: Salad:
- 2 small yellow melons (spanspek)
- 1 medium green-flesh melon
- 375 g cherry/baby Roma tomatoes
- 1 bunch mint
Ingredients: Dressing:
- 75 ml port
- 60 – 90 ml fresh lemon juice
- 30 ml honey
- salt to taste
- freshly ground pepper to taste
Preparation:
- Cut the melons in half, remove the pips, and using a melon baller, scoop out the flesh from all the melon halves into a large bowl.
- Skin the tomatoes – pour boiling water over them, and let stand for a minute or two. Drain and plunge immediately into a bowl of cold water – the skins should slip off easily. Add the tomatoes to the melon balls.
- Chop most of the mint leaves, reserving just a few for garnish, and add them to the bowl.
- Combine all the ingredients for the dressing. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary. Pour the dressing over the salad, and stir gently to combine.
- Cover and chill for at least an hour. Taste again for seasoning, Garnish with the reserved mint leaves and serve chilled.
Serves 6.
