Melão com Presunto (Portuguese Melon with Cured Ham)

This is less a recipe than a reminder, but it is the reminder I need every July when it is too hot to think about turning on the stove and someone is still coming over for dinner. A well-chilled, very ripe melon draped with paper-thin slices of cured ham is one of those old-world combinations that just works, sweet against salty, cool against rich, and it takes about fifteen minutes to put together.

Presunto is Portugal’s answer to prosciutto, dry-cured and intensely savory, and you will find it in most Portuguese or Brazilian markets in the US; Prosciutto di Parma or a good Serrano ham are both fine substitutes if that is what your grocery store carries. What actually matters more than the ham is the melon. It needs to be properly ripe and properly cold, because a mediocre melon has nowhere to hide next to good ham.

I serve this on the porch table with a glass of something cold before the main event, and it disappears faster than anything else I put out, including whatever I spent real effort on.

Melão com Presunto Recipe

Prep time: 15 minutes · Cook time: 0 minutes · Total: 15 minutes · Servings: 4 · Calories: ~140 per serving

Ingredients

• 1 ripe cantaloupe or honeydew melon, well chilled
• 6 oz presunto, prosciutto or Serrano ham, sliced paper-thin
• A few fresh mint leaves, torn
• Freshly cracked black pepper
• Flaky sea salt
• Balsamic glaze, optional, for drizzling

Instructions

1. Cut the melon in half, scoop out the seeds, and slice into thin wedges, then remove the rind from each wedge.
2. Arrange the melon wedges on a serving platter.
3. Drape a slice of ham loosely over or alongside each wedge; do not press it on too tightly, it should sit loosely so you can see both ingredients.
4. Scatter with torn mint leaves, a crack of black pepper, and a small pinch of flaky salt.
5. Finish with a light drizzle of balsamic glaze if using, and serve immediately while the melon is still cold.

Recipe Notes

• Test the melon before you buy it: it should give slightly at the blossom end and smell sweet through the rind. A melon with no smell will not have much flavor either.
• Keep the melon in the fridge until the last minute; the contrast between cold fruit and room-temperature ham is part of what makes this work.
• Presunto can be found at Portuguese or Brazilian specialty markets, or ordered online; Prosciutto di Parma or Serrano ham are both close, widely available substitutes.
• This does not hold well once assembled, so put it together right before serving rather than prepping it hours ahead.