It’s summer, which means it’s melon time!  Bon Appetit came a couple weeks ago and I was flipping through it, of course, and there was a recipe with honeydew.  I haven’t seen many recipes with honeydew in them.  The most I’ve ever done with it is either (1) cut and eat or (2) the aforementioned topped with prosciutto.  So, this recipe was game!  This delectable food-bearing treat I keep mentioning is Shaved Honeydew, Fennel, and Olive Salad.  The last two key ingredient are some of my favorite foods!  It’s a no-cook (in the sense of no heat) recipe which is great this time of year.  And, gluten free, dairy free and vegetarian.

Ingredients

• 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
• 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
• 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
• Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper
• 1 ½ pounds honeydew melon, rind and seeds removed, shaved on a mandoline 
• ½ fennel bulb, shaved on a mandoline, plus 2 Tbsp. coarsely chopped fennel fronds
• ¼ cup brined green olives, 
such as Castelvetrano, pitted, 
very coarsely chopped

Directions

Zest the orange (and then make sure you don’t add this to the dressing!!!).  I carefully took it out of the bowl after I more carefully read the directions.  Why should you read ahead, right?

Whisk orange juice, lemon juice, and 
2 Tbsp. oil in a large bowl; season with salt and pepper.

Shave the honeydew…hmmm….what’s the best way to take the skin off the melon?  Carrot peeler, not that great, knife ended up being the best bet.  Then I quartered the melon and it took awhile.

Next, you do the same thing to the fennel.  Much easier to prep/cut!

Add melon, shaved fennel, 
and olives to vinaigrette and toss to coat. Top salad with orange zest and fennel fronds, drizzle with more oil, and season with salt and pepper.

Final product (VERY green!)

It was very light and refreshing, though it seems like it was missing something and I can’t tell if it was lemon juice or S&P.  I did add more S&P at the table so don’t know if it was the lemon.  But overall, very nice.  Perfect for summer!  Was served with scallops and some delicious grains.  Would highly recommend it.