Melon Carpaccio

Name: Melon Carpaccio
Prep time: 20 min
Total time: 20 min
Yield: 4
Ingredients: Cantaloupe to be cleaned 4 ½ cups; Parmigiano Reggiano PDO cheese 0.7 oz; Basil to taste; Melissa to taste; Extra virgin olive oil 2 tbsp; Lemon juice 2 tsp; Apple cider vinegar 1 tsp; Mustard 1 tsp; Fine salt to taste; Black pepper to taste

Difficulty: Very easy
Prep time: 20 min
Serving: 4
Cost: Low

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PRESENTATION

Melon Carpaccio takes the one thing everyone knows about cantaloupe—its pull toward something savory—and sharpens it into a more deliberate dish. Where prosciutto e melone relies on cured meat, this cantaloupe carpaccio swaps in shavings of Parmigiano Reggiano and a bright dressing of extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice, apple cider vinegar, and mustard.

The cantaloupe is sliced paper-thin, the way carpaccio demands, so the fruit fans across the plate rather than sitting in wedges. The contrast is what holds it together: sweet, juicy melon against the sharp, crystalline bite of Parmigiano, with the dressing cutting through both. Basil and lemon balm finish with a clean aromatic lift. There is no cooking, no complicated timing—just slicing and whisking.

INGREDIENTS

Cantaloupe 4 ½ cups (700 g) - to be cleaned

Parmigiano Reggiano PDO cheese 0.7 oz (20 g)

Basil to taste

Melissa to taste

For the dressing: Extra virgin olive oil 2 tbsp (30 g); Lemon juice 2 tsp (10 g); Apple cider vinegar 1 tsp (5 g); Mustard 1 tsp (5 g); Fine salt to taste; Black pepper to taste

Preparation

How to prepare Melon Carpaccio

To prepare the melon carpaccio, first clean the melon: remove the rind 1 and cut it in half, then remove the seeds 2. Cut the melon into quarters and slice it lengthwise with a mandoline 3.

You should obtain slices about 1/16 in (2 mm) thick 4. Set aside and prepare the dressing: in a small bowl pour the oil, the lemon juice 5 and the apple cider vinegar 6.

Add the mustard 7, salt and pepper 8, then emulsify well with a whisk 9.

Make shavings of Parmigiano Reggiano with the help of a vegetable peeler 10. You are ready to plate: arrange the melon slices on a serving plate 11 and drizzle with the dressing 12.