Tasty Jamon, Serrano, Melon and Arugula Salad for the perfect summers day
My Wife asked me to make a ham and melon salad the other day and the first thing I thought was that horribly clichéd “melon wrapped in ham” starter you get in oh so many Italian restaurants. This on the other hand was amazing and even though I only made one plate for Ashlynn, I couldn’t stop coming over to steal a few bites for myself.
In Spain, the most popular melon is the Piel de Sapo or Santa Claus melon which I used for this dish. The melon has a very sweet white flesh but if you can’t find this type of melon I’m sure any sweet ripe melon would work. For the ham, we are pretty fortunate to have copious amounts of cured hams here in Andalucía, I used a Serrano ham but any cured ham such a Parma ham or Prosciutto would work…. even better would be Iberico!
I started with a good bed of arugula or rocket, I absolutely love the peppery flavour of this green. Thinly sliced pieces of melon followed with roughly torn pieces of ham (be as generous as you want with both). Now the best part…unhealthy amounts of Parmesan (freshly grated please) and the best olive oil you can find, I used Spanish of course. Finish with a healthy grind of black pepper and some sea salt and you are done! Ashlynn then drowned her salad with an aged balsamic vinegar and it was absolutely amazing. This would go very well overlooking the Mediterranean sipping on an ice cold white Rioja.
