I’m upgrading the salad course with my refreshing cucumber melon salad, arranged like a little checkerboard on the plate ~ it’s a cheffy salad anyone can make!

One of the perks I Iook forward to every summer is playing with the explosion of fresh produce. There’s such an abundance I feel like I can get creative with my salads and enjoy the process of artfully arranging them on the plate. Mindful prep encourages mindful eating and each piece of my edible grid is purposely placed with an eye to color, texture, and flavor in this cucumber melon salad.
Melon, cucumbers, and tomatoes are actually all summer fruits ~ so this is technically a savory fruit salad! It scores super high on refreshment, eye appeal, and health benefits with these three low calorie high hydration heroes.
what you’ll need for a cucumber melon salad
- ripe melon
- use 1 or several varieties. I used seedless watermelon, a galia melon (looks like cantaloupe on the outside, with green flesh inside) and a cantaloupe. Look for a good variety of colors.
- small cucumbers
- mini or Persian cucumbers are available in most supermarkets.
- cherry tomatoes
- I used colorful heirloom cherry tomatoes but you can be more reserved and go with classic reds.
- feta cheese and/or mozzarella ciliengineย (cherry sized balls)
- I use both.
- olive oil
- vinegar or fresh lime juice
- the important pop of acidity that wakes up sweet melon and bland cukes.
- herbes de Provence
- or other dried herb blend like Italian seasoning.
- finishing salt and fresh cracked pepper
- use a flaky sea salt like Maldon, and definitely use a pepper mill for the pepper.
how to assemble your cubed melon salad
Your cucumber melon salad can be composed on one large platter, or on individual plates. In either case the process is the same. Don’t worry about little variations in size of your cubes, the salad isn’t meant to be perfect, just delicious.
- Slice your melon into 1″ cubes.
- Slice feta cheese into 1″ cubes.
- Slice small cucumbers into 1″ pieces.
- Slice cherry tomatoes in half, or leave them whole. I do both for visual variety.
garnishing your checkerboard cucumber melon salad
โข First I drizzle everything with good olive oil and a few drops of a light vinegar like rice vinegar or sherry vinegar. Lime juice is delicious, too. This is your ‘dressing.’
โข Sprinkle with finishing salt and fresh cracked black pepper.
โข Add herbes de Provence, Italian seasoning, or any other dried seasoning you like.
โข Finish with tiny herbs, herb blossoms, edible flowers, or micro greens.
how to find edible blossoms to garnish a summer salad
Edible flowers are an easy and fun way to garnish a cucumber melon salad, just make sure they are unsprayed and free from chemicals. And remember, if you can’t locate fresh edible flowers you can also use dried like lavender, hibiscus, and rose petals.
- Specialty Grocery Stores: Whole Foods and similar stores.
- Farmers Markets
- Online Retailers: Websites like Gourmet Sweet Botanicals, Melissa’s, Marx Foods, and Amazon.
- Garden Centers: Some have an edible flowers section.
- Local Farms: Farms specializing in organic produce may offer edible flowers.
look in your own backyard!
Nasturtiums, pansies, rose petals, marigold petals, violets, dandelions, lavender, clover flowers, cornflower, herb blossoms…they’re all edible and make pretty garnishes.
more melon salad recipes
- Melon Salad with Chile and Lime
- Cantaloupe and Mango Salad
- Watermelon Salsa
- Watermelon and Couscous Salad
- Sweet Corn and Watermelon Salad
- Red White and Blueberry Salad
- Cubed Melon Salad
- Four Simple Melon Salads
Cucumber Melon Salad
Ingredients
assorted melon
- 1/2 small seedless watermelon
- 1/2 small cantaloupe melon, or other orange melon.
- 1/2 small honeydew melon, or other green melon.
cheese
- 4 ounces feta cheese, look for imported Greek sheep's milk feta for great flavor.
- 4 ounces fresh mozzarella ciliengineย (cherry size balls), about 8-10
cucumber
- 3-4 baby or Persian cucumbers
cherry tomatoes
- 15 heirloom cherry tomatoes
dressing
- drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
- drizzle of white wine or sherry vinegar, or fresh lime juice
garnish
- flakey sea salt and fresh cracked pepper
- fresh herbs and edible blossoms
Instructions
- Slice the melon into 1" cubes. You will want about 36 cubes, more or less.
- Slice the feta cheese into 1" cubes, you'll want about 10-12 cubes.
- Slice the cucumbers into 1" long slices. You'll want about 15 pieces.
- Whether you are arranging a platter sized salad or individual plates, the process is the same. Start on the bottom row and arrange as many cubes as fits the width of your plate. Alternate melon, cheese, and tomatoes as you like. I don't cut the tomatoes ahead of time, I see what I need as I go. Sometimes I leave them whole for visual variety.
- When your grid or grids are finished, drizzle lightly with olive oil and squeeze a little lime juice over them. Add sea salt and fresh cracked black pepper. I like to add a little herbes de Provence or Italian seasoning as well.
- Garnish with sprigs of herbs, herb blossoms, edible blossoms, ect.
- Serve immediately.