Melon Grape Salad

The dressing is what sets this fruit salad apart from every other bowl of cut melon at a potluck. Honey, lime juice, and Dijon mustard whisked together create a sweet-tart-savory dressing that wakes up fruit that might otherwise taste flat.

Mustard in a fruit salad sounds strange until you try it. The sharp, peppery bite of Dijon adds a grown-up edge that balances all the sweetness from the melon, grapes, and honey. It’s the ingredient nobody can quite identify but everyone asks about.

Tossing the fruit with lime juice first and chilling it pulls out excess liquid. Draining that liquid before adding the honey-mustard dressing means the dressing clings to the fruit instead of getting diluted.

Kitchen Tips

• Drain the chilled fruit thoroughly and dry the bowl before adding the dressing. Extra melon juice thins the dressing into a puddle at the bottom.
• Use ripe, fragrant cantaloupe and sweet watermelon. Under-ripe melon tastes like wet cardboard no matter how good the dressing is.
• Whisk the dressing until the honey and mustard are fully emulsified. Separated dressing coats unevenly.
• Serve within an hour of dressing. Cut melon gets watery as it sits.

Variations

• Add fresh mint leaves for a cool, herbal contrast.
• Use honeydew melon instead of cantaloupe for a different color and flavor.
• Toss in fresh blueberries or sliced strawberries for a more colorful bowl.