Melon Avocado Salad with Miso Dressing

A light, healthy and gluten-free Melon Avocado Salad with Miso Dressing. This melon salad is like summer in a bowl. Sweet melon, creamy and buttery avocados, crisp cucumber, fresh coriander and green onions. Finished with a drizzle of quick and simple miso dressing and sesame seeds – YUM. It’s a super simple side salad that’s full of umami, savoury and sweet flavours. Fresh fruit, avocado, cucumbers, with asian dressing, what’s not to love! All my favourite textures and flavours in one salad.

Have you ever cut into a perfectly ripe cantaloupe?  The first thing you’ll notice is its fragrance: sweet, floral, and slightly musky. And you’ll know it’s a good, juicy and flavourful melon. Cantaloupe melon which is also known as rock melon or sweet melon really shines in the summer months. The mild, and sweet flavour of this melon makes it easy to pair with a wide range of ingredients both sweet and savoury.

While the combination of sweet melon and creamy avocado by itself is heavenly, the addition of cucumbers and fresh coriander takes it to a whole new level. It’s a salad that’s packed full with bright fresh flavours and embodies the best that summer produce has to offer.

Ingredients for Melon Avocado Salad with Miso Dressing

• Cantaloupe Melon – Cantaloupe is the star of this dish. As it is sweet, juicy, and tender it combines well with avocados and cucumber. If using a different variety remember every melon is different with different degrees of sweetness, there is a bit of flavour adjusting at the end, adding a bit more lime or sweetness. Find the balance, and you will be happy.
• Avocado – Avocados add heft of creaminess to the salad. Look for a large and firm (but not hard!) avocado. We think avocado looks best thinly sliced for this salad, but you could also scoop it out by the spoonful for a natural look.
• Cucumbers – I LOVE cucumbers. They’re notably crunchy, almost sweet, juicy, and so refreshing. Cucumbers are the ideal hot-weather food. The best cucumbers to use for this salad are either long English or Persian. Because both of these cucumbers are thin-skinned which means you don’t have to peel them.
• Spring Onions – Add crunch and zing to the salad.
• Fresh coriander Leaves – Coriander has a fresh, nutty and citrus taste with strong aroma. It adds freshness and aroma to the salad.
• Fresh Red Chilli – Just a little flourish of heat for this juicy and refreshing salad, but it’s totally optional if you don’t like spice!

For the Miso Dressing

• Organic Japanese Miso Paste – White
• Soy sauce
• Chinese black vinegar
• Toasted sesame oil
• Chilli oil
• Lime juice
• Ginger
• Garlic
• Palm sugar

How To Make Melon Avocado Salad with Miso Dressing

This easy salad recipe has three folds.

1. Miso Dressing:  In a small bowl, whisk together miso paste, soy sauce, black vinegar, sesame oil, chilli oil, lime juice, palm sugar, ginger and garlic. Taste and season with a pinch of salt if needed.
2. Prep the Salad: Peel and wedge the melon into equal size pieces. Pit, peel and slice the avocado. Finely chop the green onions and with a wide peeler ribbon the cucumber. You can ball the melon with melon scooper and cut cucumber into chunks if you prefer. Chop the coriander.
3. Assemble: Toss the melon, cucumbers, avocado, spring onions, and coriander in a bowl. Arrange the salad in a shallow serving bowl. Drizzle with the prepared dressing. Top with nori, coriander and sliced red chillies (if using). Garnish with a small amount of sliced nori, and black and white sesame seeds. with the dressing. Finish with toasted sesame seeds, if desired and enjoy!

Helpful Tips and Tricks to Make Melon Avocado Salad with Miso Dressing

Here are a few tips to help you get the best results as you make this melon salad recipe:

• Bite-sized wedges: Cut your melon into wedges that are equal in size. Or, if you have one, use a melon baller to cut out small balls. Sliced melon stays nice and crunchy for a few days, so you can prepare the melon in advance and have it ready for this salad. Whole unsliced melon is good for a few weeks in the fridge.
• Avocados: Avocados are notoriously tricky to catch at the moment of perfect ripeness – one day hard, the next over-ripe and discolouring inside. If ripening at home, check for ripeness by pulling the stem – it should come away easily to reveal green flesh.
• Once sliced, avocado doesn’t last long. If you’re preparing this in advance, wait until just before serving to slice the avocado. 
• We don’t recommend freezing this salad–it’s best eaten with a day or two of preparation.

This healthy melon avocado salad is packed with the flavours of south east Asia. If you are looking for a light lunch or a new recipe to add to your salad repertoire? Try some of these salads.

1. Asian Edamame and Quinoa Salad
2. White Asparagus with Miso Dressing
3. Spring Asparagus and Courgette Salad

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Melon Avocado Salad with Miso Dressing

Serves: 4 Prep Time: 10 Minutes

Nutrition facts: 200 calories 20 grams fat

Rating: 5.0/5

( 6 voted )

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Ingredients

For the Salad

• 1 cantaloupe melon, thinly sliced
• 2 avocados, sliced
• 1 cucumber, ribboned
• 3-4 spring onions, chopped
• ¼ cup chopped coriander leaves

For The Dressing

• 3 tbsp tamari sauce/light soy sauce
• ½ tsp dark soy sauce
• 1 tbsp black vinegar
• 1.5 tsp miso paste
• 2 tsp lime juice
• 1 tsp toasted sesame oil 
• 1 tsp chilli oil (optional)
• 1 tsp palm sugar
• ½  tsp grated ginger 
• 1 clove garlic, minced or grated

For Garnish

• Nori, thinly sliced
• White and black sesame seeds
• Coriander leaves

method

1. In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, black vinegar, miso paste, sesame oil, chilli oil (if using), palm sugar, ginger and garlic. Taste and season with a pinch of salt if needed.
2. Peel, pit and cut each avocado into half. Cut each half into slices, about 6 slices per half
3. Cut the cantaloupe in half and scoop out the seeds. Using a sharp knife slice the melon into wedges (I used the smaller and place them in the serving bowl
4. Trim the ends from the cucumber. Use a vegetable peeler to carefully slice the cucumber lengthways into long, thin ribbons.When you reach the seeds, turn the cucumber and repeat on the other sides. Discard the core
5. In a large mixing bowl add the melon slices, avocado, cucumber, spring onions and coriander. Mix well. 
6. Arrange the salad in a shallow serving bowl. Drizzle with the prepared dressing. Top with nori, coriander and sliced red chillies (if using). Garnish with a small amount id slice nori, and black and white sesame seeds. 

Did You Make This Recipe?

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