How to Buy, Store, and Cook Cantaloupe, In Season in August

Here are recipes, buying tips, and storing suggestions for Cantaloupe, which is in season in August.

August 12, 2013

Cantaloupe: a melon so good, it can drive a pope mad. Its sweet, smooth, tender flesh is a kind of temptation, if not just to eat more melon. But one of our favorite characteristics of this fruit--which is definitely no secret--is how well it pairs with salty, fatty prosciutto or pancetta. And not just in the Italian restaurant iteration, with slices of melon swaddled in charcuterie: it works in dishes like pasta salad and risotto, too. We like a fruit that can play nice with meat.

Read on for tips on buying, storing, and preparing cantaloupe. Oh, and you'll probably need to know how to slice it properly, too.

HOW TO BUY

Choose cantaloupes that are heavy for their size and have a fresh fragrance, with no sloshing sound when shaken. The webbing on their skin should be thick and well raised. Perfectly ripe melons will have light gold color between the webbing. Avoid any with soft spots.

HOW TO STORE

Keep unripe cantaloupe at room temperature but refrigerate those that are ripe. You can refrigerate uncut for up to one week.

1/6
Pasta Salad with Melon, Pancetta, and Ricotta Salata
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2/6
Melon and Prosciutto Risotto
Cassy Vires, Home Wine Kitchen, St. Louis: "I like to take a classic pairing and turn it on its head."
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Marshall Troy
3/6
Cantaloupe Gazpacho
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4/6
Cantaloupe with Jamón
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Danielle Walsh is the assistant web editor at Bon Appétit, and has also written for New York Magazine's Grub Street. She loves Korean food, tacos, and whiskey, and is trying really, really hard to like sardines. ... Read More