At a party two weekends ago, I had tasted a delicious savory fruit salad made with watermelon and cantaloupe, loads of fresh ground pepper and basil. I have literally been thinking about this salad everyday for two weeks. Much to my surprise and delight, for the first time in two years, cantaloupe showed up in our farm share and all I could think about was recreating this delicious dish. The original didn’t have feta in it, but I thought it was a nice compliment to the typical sweetness of the fruit. I’ll definitely be making this again and probably again and again and again because it was that good.

Fresh Melon, Feta and Basil Salad

• 1 small cantaloupe
• 1 mini seedless watermelon
• 1/4 to 1/2 cup of crumbled feta cheese
• handful of basil
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon fresh squeezed lemon juice
• loads of fresh ground black pepper

Peel rinds away from cantaloupe and watermelon, then slice both in half. Seed cantaloupe and dice both melons into approximately 1-inch cubes. Stack basil leaves on top of one another, roll tightly into a small cylinder then slice thinly into strips. This technique is known as a chiffonade. Combine remaining ingredients and serve immediately.

About Jessica Black

Hi, I'm Jessica. I'm a 29 year-old, full-time graphic design supervisor at an advertising agency in Buffalo, NY. While I love design, art, typography and photography, I'm also passionate about cooking and trying out new recipes. I'm happily married and my husband, Spencer, and I are proud puppy parents of a french bulldog named Oscar.

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