Prosciutto and Melon
on Jul 16, 2022, Updated May 09, 2024
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
This is hands down the best Prosciutto and Melon antipasti you will ever have. This recipe is inspired by Steve’s Zio Iginio whom we lost in 2021. Zio Iginio was from Trento, Italia, 🇮🇹and was someone who made a massive impact on our lives with his cooking, stories from the war, and traditions. He absolutely loved prosciutto and melon 🍈 served for special occasions so I made this dish in honor of him, but with a modern twist of course. This antipasti is perfect for any occasion and a beautiful presentation if you have guests over.
Why You’ll Love Prosciutto and Melon
This Prosciutto and Melon antipasto is dressed to impress. It is so simple, yet beautifully elegant, and really just takes a few minutes to assemble. The 🍈 melon is so crisp and fresh, juicy and sweet, which complements the salty prosciutto perfectly. The fresh bocconcini and homemade walnut/honey 🍯 crumble take this over the top. This recipe can be easily scaled up if you have more guests, so feel free to make as much as you need.
How to Prepare Prosciutto and Melon
🔪 Using a sharp knife, cut the melon in half.
🥄 Now, scoop out the seeds and then take a melon baller and press it flat into the melon. Press down and rotate the tool around until you have a perfect melon ball.
🍈 Continue to do this until you have about 20 melon balls.
🥣 Arrange the melon in a bowl with the Bocconcini, then nestle in a few ribbons of prosciutto and set aside.
🔨 Now, to the food processor, add the walnuts and honey. If you don’t have a food processor, you can crush the nuts with a mallet in a ziplock bag and then mix them with honey, or blend them in a blender and mix them with honey until you have a crumbly texture.
🌀 Process together until you have a coarse nutty, sweet, and crumbly texture that tastes like heaven.
🍯 Take the nut and honey topping and add it on top of the melon, prosciutto, and Bocconcini.
🌿 Drizzle on a little extra honey on top and garnish with your favorite herbs. Enjoy
Nonna’s Tip 🍈
To get the perfect melon ball every time, be sure to place the tool flat onto the melon and press down. Then rotate the melon baller in a circular motion until the melon ball pops out.
Variations and Substitutions for Prosciutto and Melon
- You can use canteloupe, honeydew or a combination if you wish. This recipe works beautifully with 🍉 watermelon in the mix as well.
- You can certainly leave the cheese or meat out of this recipe if you or your guests have food preferences or intolerances as this recipe is perfect just with the 🍈 fruit and walnut honey topping.
- Feel free to improvise and use any cheese variety you enjoy here: fresh mozzarella or burrata would be yummy.
- If you are allergic to nuts you can try using seeds instead for the 🍯 honey topping.
Similar Recipes
Best Served With
- This Proscuitto and Melon antipasto is a terrific first course before a heavier Italian main dish, such as Eggplant Ricotta Lasagna Rolls, Copycat Carbone Spicy Rigatoni or Simple Risotto Recipe.
- Serve this with a few other Italian antipasti to really wow your guests. My beautiful Italian Stuffed Artichokes and Italian Bruschetta are sensational!
Common Questions
You can use canteloupe, honeydew or a combination if you wish. This recipe works beautifully with watermelon in the mix as well.
My melon baller is from Amazon: OXO Good Grips Melon Baller Silver
If you can’t get your hands on a melon baller you can absolutely just slice the melon with a knife or even try using a mini ice-cream scooper instead.
I have the Cuisinart Food Processor, and I love it! It’s very powerful and holds a lot of ingredients.
If you don’t have a food processor, you can crush the nuts with a mallet in a ziplock bag and then mix them with honey, or blend them in a blender and mix them with honey until you have a crumbly texture.
Prosciutto and Melon
Ingredients
- ½ cantaloupe, or honey dew
- 1 cup mini Bocconcini
- ½ cup walnuts, or almonds (or a mix)
- 1 tablespoon honey, more to taste
- 100 grams prosciutto slices
- fresh mint, basil, lemon thyme or any herbs you have for presentation
Instructions
- Cut the melon in half. You can also buy a small piece at the grocery store that’s already pre-cut for you.
- Scoop out the seeds and take the melon baller and press it flat into the melon. Put the melon baller flat onto the fruit, press down and begin to rotate the tool around until you have a perfect melon ball. Continue to do this until you have 20 balls or as many as you enjoy. You will have melon scraps left over which you can eat or freeze for smoothies.
- Arrange the melon in a bowl with the Bocconcini, and nestle in a few ribbons of prosciutto.
- The best part of this recipe is the honey walnut/almond topping which I make in the food processor. If you don’t have a food processor, you can crush the nuts with a mallet in a ziplock bag and then mix them with honey, or blend them in a blender and mix them with honey until you have a crumbly texture.
- I like to add my nuts and honey together in the food processor and process until you have a coarse nutty, sweet, and crumbly texture that tastes like heaven.
- Take the nut and honey topping and add it on top of the melon, prosciutto, and Bocconcini.
- Drizzle on a little extra honey on top and garnish with any of your favorite herbs. Enjoy
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This looks delicious.
Happy you think so Teresa