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Zucchini Ribbon Salad with Melon & Prosciutto

This salad is perfect when hosting a ladies brunch or girls night in. We pair raw zucchini ribbon with melon and prosciutto and the salad gets finished with strawberries, mozzarella, basil, pine nuts and fennel fronds. A strawberry melon champagne vinaigrette is the perfect dressing that has the perfect balance of sweet and tangy.
Print Recipe
Prep Time 25 minutes
Course: lunch, Salad
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients
  

  • 2 small Zucchini
  • 1 Honeydew Melon 1/4 of the melon is enough
  • 4 oz Prosciutto
  • 8 oz Strawberries
  • 8 oz Mozzarella Balls
  • 1/3 cup Basil leaves
  • 1/4 cup Pine Nuts
Strawberry Melon Champagne Vinaigrette
  • 1/2 cup Strawberries cut in half or quartered
  • 1/2 cup Honeydew Melon cut in 1 inch pieces
  • 1/4 cup Champagne Vinegar
  • 1/4 cup Avocado Oil or Olive Oil
  • 1 tsp Tarragon chopped

Equipment

  • Vegetable Peeler
  • Paring Knife
  • Whisk

Method
 

  1. Toast the Pine Nuts: Heat a small skillet over medium-low heat. No need to add oil. Toast the pine nuts moving them around the pan occasionally until they are fragrant and start to turn golden brown in spots. Set aside.
  2. Prep the Melon Ribbons: Cut the Honeydew melon in half length wise. Scoop out the seeds. Cut 1 halve into 4 pieces length wise. Hold the base of the honeydew melon and using the vegetable peeler peel the flesh of the honeydew from one tip to the other tip. Discard the first piece because it won't come out pretty and continue peeling.
  3. Prep the Zucchini Ribbons (see note): Cut the end off of the zucchini and leave the stem on. Using the stem as a handle hold the zucchini and press the vegetable peeler pretty firmly down and peel from top to bottom. Discard the first 1-2 pieces since they will mostly be skin. Continue peeling until you reach seeds in the middle of the zucchini. Turn the zucchini over and repeat peeling the zucchini ribbon.
  4. Plate the Salad: Fold and curl the zucchini and melon ribbons onto the plate while layering for texture and height. Tear the prosciutto into smaller pieces, drape the pieces down and allow them to fold onto itself as you place them on top of the zucchini and melon ribbons. Scatter the strawberries and mozzarella balls evenly around the salad. Tuck in some small basil leaves and tear larger leaves. Sprinkle Pine nuts over top and lastly the fennel fronds if you have them.
  5. Dressing: Drizzle the dressing over the salad right before serving to prevent the salad from getting soggy.

Notes

NOTES:
Zucchini Ribbons: I do not recommend prepping the zucchini ribbons in advance as they have a high water content and the longer they sit out the more moisture will seep out of them causing he zucchini to become wilted and loose it's crunch. It is best to make the zucchini ribbons right before eating.