Make Ahead

Melon Mango Slaw with Lime and Ginger

by:
June 24, 2011
5
1 Ratings
Melon Mango Slaw with Lime and Ginger
  • Serves 2 hearty servings
Author Notes

On our recent travels, we ate at a seafood restaurant that topped their fish with a green papaya slaw that I fell in love with. It was so refreshing in the 90+ temps and humidity we had every day. In all honestly, this slaw may not have ANY of the same ingredients except the mint but it has the same refreshing splash you need on those hot humid evenings. It's perfect on chicken or fish. - ChezSuzanne —TheWimpyVegetarian

Test Kitchen Notes

While this slaw may, from the recipe, threaten to be too sweet, the generous quantity of ginger, and the citrus, mint and tiny pinch of salt hold the fruit sugar in check. Sometimes we forget that mint is an herb. This slaw magically brings that into focus, while countering the strength of the mint with the bold but distinct flavors of the citrus and ginger. I could eat this luscious dish any time of day or night. Just make sure to prepare a double, or better yet a triple, batch because you’ll crave some later, and tomorrow, too. A new summer favorite!! - AntoniaJames —AntoniaJames

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1/6 whole cantaloupe
  • 1/6 small, whole watermelon
  • 1/2 small to medium mango
  • 1 1/2 inch piece of ginger, finely grated
  • 1/4 serrano pepper, seeded, minced as small as possible
  • 10 mint leaves, chiffonade
  • 1 tablespoon lime juice
  • zest from 1/2 lime
  • 1 teaspoon lemon juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, to taste
Directions
  1. Slice a large wedge out of both the cantaloupe and watermelon that equals about 1/6 of each melon. Cut off the skin of both melons and remove the seeds of the cantaloupe. Julienne the slices using a sharp knife or any tool you may have in your kitchen. I have a mandoline with a julienne option that worked great. Place the julienned melons in a bowl.
  2. Peel 1/2 of the mango and julienne the other half the same way. Add it to the bowl with the melons. Add the grated ginger and minced serrano pepper. If you don't want the little bit of kick the pepper gives, just reduce or omit it.
  3. Make the dressing by combining the juices, lime zest, and salt. Pour over the fruit and toss with the chiffonade mint.
  4. Let sit for 30 minutes to allow the flavors to get know each other and serve!
Tags:
Contest Entries

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • boulangere
    boulangere
  • borntobeworn
    borntobeworn
  • lapadia
    lapadia
  • dymnyno
    dymnyno
  • Lizthechef
    Lizthechef

Popular on Food52

26 Reviews

boulangere
boulangere May 10, 2012
I'd forgotten about this. Thanks for waving it in front of me again. I'll make it this time!
 
borntobeworn
borntobeworn August 19, 2011
We're at the beach and I made this again yesterday! So refreshing, and I was able to julienne everything this time:)
 
TheWimpyVegetarian
TheWimpyVegetarian August 19, 2011
Perfect summer beach food! Thanks so much for sending me the note on it again-it really makes my day!! Enjoy your beach time! Typical August weather here: barely 60 degrees, foggy, drizzly....
 
borntobeworn
borntobeworn July 16, 2011
I made this for brunch this morning and it was awesome!!! My watermelon was too ripe to julienne so I cut both melons into small cubes. I used my julienne peeler on the mango. I added more peppers (several kinds) and it was great. My guy doesn't really like melon but he loved it and agreed that this recipe will go the beach in August.
 
TheWimpyVegetarian
TheWimpyVegetarian July 16, 2011
Thanks for the feedback borntobeworn. I really appreciate it and am so glad you guys like it so much. You made my day!
 
lapadia
lapadia June 29, 2011
This screams summer...as I am looking out at a cloudy PacNW day! Thanks for sharing it!
 
TheWimpyVegetarian
TheWimpyVegetarian June 29, 2011
Thanks lapadia! And I totally understand on the weather. It poured rain all day yesterday and today ranges from really cloudy to just a little cloudy. I'm ready for some warm, sunny, summer weather, but the garden is very happy right now.
 
boulangere
boulangere June 29, 2011
wow! Love the colors and flavors.
 
TheWimpyVegetarian
TheWimpyVegetarian June 29, 2011
Thanks so much boulangere! It was fun to pull together and to photograph!
 
dymnyno
dymnyno June 29, 2011
This is a beautiful salad. It will be perfect for the coming sizzling days of summer!
 
TheWimpyVegetarian
TheWimpyVegetarian June 29, 2011
Thanks so much, Mary! I hope you like it - and I know you've got that same great julienning tool (I got the idea from you after all!), and trust me, it makes incredible quick work of pulling this little relish together.
 
Lizthechef
Lizthechef June 25, 2011
This is a pure ChezSuzanne recipe - love its simplicity and fresh flavors. Thumbs up!
 
Sagegreen
Sagegreen June 25, 2011
Ditto!
 
TheWimpyVegetarian
TheWimpyVegetarian June 25, 2011
Thanks LTC and sagegreen! I really appreciate your comments so much. I hope you try it - it's so easy to make and a great way to class up a simple grilled entree!
 
dymnyno
dymnyno June 29, 2011
Ditto!!
 
Beautiful, M.
Beautiful, M. June 25, 2011
This sounds refreshing and zesty! I will add it to my repertoire for Ocean Beach dinner picnics (might be a while before the next heat wave though!)
 
TheWimpyVegetarian
TheWimpyVegetarian June 25, 2011
Thanks! I'd love to hear what you think if you try it. And yes, a dinner picnic at Ocean Beach tonight might be better with hot chocolate and a fleece :-)
 
Fairmount_market
Fairmount_market June 24, 2011
What beautiful colors and flavors.
 
TheWimpyVegetarian
TheWimpyVegetarian June 24, 2011
Thanks Fairmount_market!! I hope you have a chance to try it.
 
gingerroot
gingerroot June 24, 2011
This looks and sounds so delicious and refreshing, ChezSuzanne! I wish I had some right now. : )
 
TheWimpyVegetarian
TheWimpyVegetarian June 24, 2011
Thanks gingerroot!! I'll fax the rest of mine over to you. Well, maybe not. But the good news is that if you have a julienne tool, it takes about 15 minutes to pull together :-)
 
dymnyno
dymnyno June 29, 2011
Yeah to the handy julienne tool!
 
TheWimpyVegetarian
TheWimpyVegetarian June 29, 2011
No kidding, Mary! It made SUCH quick work of the julienning process - and I have you and your amazing Zuccaghetti recipe to thank. I ran out that day to buy one! And I totally think you should submit the Zucchaghetti to this contest, BTW.
 
hardlikearmour
hardlikearmour June 24, 2011
Love this! The fruit, mint, heat, and tang would be perfect on a hot summer day.
 
hardlikearmour
hardlikearmour June 24, 2011
PS...great photo!
 
TheWimpyVegetarian
TheWimpyVegetarian June 24, 2011
Thanks so much HLA!! And thanks for the photo compliment too. I haven't figured out all the stuff with iphoto on my new mac, and I just had to keep cutting it down to get it down to the 2mg limit to post. All that cutting after I spent so much time on the photo. Sigh.