Melon Medley Salad with Citrus-Ginger Dressing
The sweet fruits combined with the spiced, citrussy, tangy ginger syrup dressing are immensely refreshing. Scooped into small balls of eye-catching colors and served in the melon shells, this definitely makes the prettiest of fruit salads and it really does taste as good as it looks!
Ingredients
- 1/2 of a medium sized watermelon, preferably seedless
- 1 medium sized honeydew melon
- 1 medium sized canteloupe / galia melon / charentais melon
- 1/2 of a large firm and ripe papaya (optional)
- 1 large firm and ripe mango (optional)
For the dressing:
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger / 1 inch piece fresh ginger, finely grated
- 2 tsp fennel seeds
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 2 teaspoons dried mint leaves / 2 tablespoon chopped fresh mint
- 2 teaspoons grated lime zest
Instructions
Prepare the fruits:
- Cut the melons into neat halves and scoop out the flesh using a fruit baller. Scoop out as many neat balls as possible and then scrape off the rest of the melon flesh with a knife. Set aside the empty shells.
- Halve the papaya without peeling and similarly scoop out the fruit into as many neat balls as possible.
- Peel the whole mango without cutting and again scoop out the flesh into balls
- Toss together the fruits, cover and refrigerate until serving time.
Make the dressing:
- In a small saucepan add the water, sugar, ginger and fennel seeds and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and cook till the mixture is reduced to half and syrupy. Set aside to cool completely.
- Add the orange juice, mint and lime zest to the cooled syrup and mix well. If possible chill the syrup in the refrigerator before serving.