July 1, 2024

Melon Caprese Salad with Herb Oil

This post was originally published here June 22, 2015. I’ve since adjusted the recipe slightly. And updated the photographs and text to reflect those changes.

My caprese salad obsession continues with this Melon Caprese Salad with Herb Oil. It’s sweet, juicy and refreshing. And it’s ideal for keeping you cool on the hottest days of Summer. Try it out for the 4th of July. Or for any of your upcoming Summer gatherings!

This Melon Caprese Salad with Herb Oil combines watermelon, cantaloupe, honeydew and cucumber with fresh mozzarella, basil, pistachios and a homemade herb-infused oil. It’s an easy recipe to make. Especially if you’re a wiz with the melon baller. I always loved helping my Mom make fruit salads because she would let me wield the melon baller. It’s such a satisfying activity!

But if you don’t have a melon baller, that’s totally OK! You can simply cut the melons and cucumber up into bite-sized cubes. It might not be as cute, but it will still be delicious!

Sizes of melons can vary greatly. But roughly you’ll need about 1/2 a cantaloupe and honeydew, 1/4 of a watermelon, and 1 large cucumber.

Cheers,

Liz

Get the Recipe:

Melon Caprese Salad with Herb Oil

At a Glance:

Yield: Serves 6-8

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 2 minutes

Total Time: 17 minutes

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Ingredients

For the Herb Oil:

• 3/4 cups light olive oil
• 1 cup loosely packed fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh cilantro leaves
• 1/2 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves

For the Salad:

• 2 cups watermelon, cubed or balled
• 2 cups honeydew, cubed or balled
• 2 cups cantaloupe, cubed or balled
• 1 cup cucumber, cubed or balled
• 8 ounces fresh ciliegine mozzarella balls, drained
• About 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn if large
• About 1/4 cup pistachios, chopped
• Flaky sea salt

Instructions

1. In your food processor with the blade attachment, process all the ingredients for the herb oil until the herbs are finely chopped. Transfer the mixture to a small saucepan and bring to a low simmer over medium heat for about 1 minute, or until fragrant. Remove from the heat. Then strain the mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a clean bowl, pressing down on the solids to collect as much of the oil as possible. Discard the collected solids. The herb oil should be a light green color. Set it aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine the watermelon, honeydew, cantaloupe, cucumber and mozzarella. Drizzle with several tablespoons of the herb oil, tossing to coat. Stir in the basil leaves and pistachios. Sprinkle with flaky sea salt before serving.