Juicy melon cubes, savory cheese, and salty salami all dressed up in a light herbal vinaigrette—this Melon and Salami Antipasto recipe has everything you could want from an appetizer and more!
Featuring beautiful spring pastels and prosciutto flowers with basil leaves (I told you there was more!), this easy Italian appetizer will steal the show and win over picky palates. It’ll impress your best foodie-friends and satisfy the hungriest of eaters—or at least happily hold them over ’til dinnertime.
Plus, if you’re not feeling fancy, don’t worry—there’s no need to organize everything into pretty rows of cubes (other than impressing all of your Insta followers). This recipe is just as tasty when tossed quickly in a bowl if that’s what you’d prefer.
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Melon & Salami Antipasto Ingredients
Grab your grocery list! While the full recipe measurements are in the recipe card below, here’s some helpful information about the edible components of your delicious dish:
- Cantaloupe is a sweet, orange melon with a rough, green and white ribbed skin and the juiciest of interiors. Choose one that feels heavy and is neither too soft nor hard.
- Cantaloupe’s smooth-skinned cousin, honeydew, has a green interior, a slightly sweeter taste, and a firmer bite. You can use just one type of melon, but I prefer using both for their complementary flavors and visual interest.
- Low-moisture mozzarella is firm and salty. Since you can buy it in blocks, it’s easier to cube than soft mozzarella. However, feel free to use fresh mozzarella if that’s your preference. Reduce prep time by choosing small mozzarella pearls that don’t need to be cut.
- Salami is a salty cured meat. Look for Genoa or Soppressata salami in the deli and ask for 1-inch slices so it’s easy to cut into cubes.
- Make pretty flowers out of prosciutto, or dry-cured ham. You can create more flowers than the recipe calls for if you enjoy prosciutto or leave it out altogether—up to you!
- You’ll use fresh basil leaves both for decoration and in the delicious vinaigrette for this marinated antipasto appetizer. If you’re using a live basil plant, pinch leaves from the top of the plant first, rather than the bottom.
- Speaking of vinaigrette, ditch the chemical-filled store-bought stuff and make your own easily with olive oil, white wine vinegar (or champagne vinegar), a dried Italian herb blend, and salt.
Don’t Forget These Kitchen Essentials
You’ll need just a few kitchen tools to whip up this easy Italian appetizer. I’ve linked my favorites for your reference:
- Grab a heavy-duty cutting board (I prefer wooden for health reasons) and a chef’s knife to cube your fruit, cheese, and salami.
- Whisk together the basil vinaigrette in a small mixing bowl.
- Then, let the antipasto salad marinate in a large mixing bowl. You could even serve it from the same bowl—just don’t forget a cute serving spoon.
- Otherwise, organize everything on a rectangular serving platter and place a few pairs of mini tongs around the edges.
How to Make a Prosciutto Flower
Add a bit of flair to your Italian appetizers and charcuterie boards with prosciutto flowers! I’ll upload and link a video tutorial here soon, but for now, here are the written instructions:
- Remove the prosciutto from the packaging.
- Fold each piece of prosciutto in half along the long side.
- Roll the prosciutto, starting from one of the short sides. Don’t roll too tightly—bunch the prosciutto up a bit to imitate real flowers.
- To make a larger prosciutto flower, add another folded piece of prosciutto about an inch from the end of the first and continue rolling, bunching, and wrapping.
- Apply a bit of pressure to the bottom side of the flower to hold the prosciutto together, while gently “fluffing” (or spacing out) the “petals” until they look natural.
- Set some prosciutto flowers (I like groups of three) on top of basil leaves and repeat!
Italian Antipasto Appetizer FAQs
I know you’re curious—here are some of the most popular questions and answers about melon and salami antipasto.
Q: What does “antipasto” mean?
A: Antipasto is a first course served before a main meal to stimulate your hunger and get everyone ready for a feast! It’s essentially an Italian appetizer that includes bite-sized pieces of meat, cheese, pickled veggies, fish, and more.
Q: What is the difference between “antipasto” and “antipasti”?
A: Both words refer to Italian appetizers. “Antipasto” is the singular form, used as in “that’s a fantastic-looking antipasto salad,” to refer to a single appetizer or piece of food. On the other hand, “antipasti” is the plural form and would be used in cases such as “wow, this an awesome spread of antipasti—I don’t know what to try first!”
Q: Do I have to use cantaloupe and honeydew, or can I choose just one?
A: Feel free to just use one type of melon if you prefer. I like the subtle flavor and color differences between honeydew and cantaloupe, which make the dish more interesting to your taste buds—and your eyeballs!
Q: Where can I buy thick salami for cubing?
A: You can buy thick salami at any deli counter—just grab a number, wait in line, and, when it’s your turn, ask the deli clerk for one-inch slices. They’ll likely understand right away, but you can explain you’re cutting it into cubes for a salad. One pound will yield approximately three one-inch slices.
Q: How do I cube a melon?
A: I cut mine a little more carefully when I’m aiming for perfect cubes (like for the presentation of this recipe) compared to when we are just snacking on it. See the image below for more details—the white lines indicate where you need to cut.
- Wash the melon to remove any bacteria or dirt from the surface before cutting it.
- Slice the melon down the middle.
- Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds—discard them. Set one melon half aside.
- Slice one of the halves into one-inch rings. (Normally, I would just cut the melon into wedges, but I wanted pretty cubes, so I needed to start with two parallel sides.)
- Making eight even cuts around the edges, slice off the skin from each ring—you’ll be left with an octagonal ring of melon.
- Cut the rings into one-inch pieces, using the flat, cubed pieces for your salad. Set the pieces with angled edges to the side for now.
- Trim off any uneven edges from the cubes and set the trimmings aside.
- Repeat with the other half of the melon.
Important note: don’t waste any melon—put the extra pieces in a storage bowl for later or snack on them as you cut if you love melon like I do.
Of course, if you’re serving the melon and salami antipasto straight from the bowl rather than arranging it on a platter, feel free to use all of the cut pieces, perfect cubes or not!
Storage Info & Tips
You’re almost ready to get in the kitchen—just review these quick tips to ensure your cantaloupe and salami appetizer turns out perfectly:
- Be careful. Melons tend to roll, and salami is oily, so use caution when cutting to avoid any accidents. Using a freshly sharpened knife is always a good idea.
- Repurpose the leftover melon seeds. You can roast them, grind them to bulk up smoothies, and more! Do a quick Google search for some ideas.
- Prep in advance! Marinated salads like this one taste best when the ingredients chill in the fridge for at least two hours, but preferably six.
- Typical vinaigrette is made using a ratio of 3 parts oil to 1 part vinegar. However, I prefer a slightly tangier marinade, so I use a ratio of 5:2. You could adjust this to suit your taste, but keep in mind that the fruit juice is sweet, so a bit of tang adds good balance.
- Whisk the vinaigrette in a separate bowl first, before adding it to the antipasto salad, to ensure all of the ingredients blend together properly.
- Don’t marinate the prosciutto flowers, or they’ll start to droop.
- Refrigerate leftovers and enjoy them within four days.
Melon & Salami Antipasto Recipe
Ladies and gents, the moment you’ve been waiting for is here: the recipe!
Melon and Salami Antipasto (Easy Italian Appetizer)
Ingredients
- 1 cantaloupe melon
- 1 honeydew melon
- 16 oz low-moisture mozzarella (I used two, 8-oz blocks)
- 1 lb salami (cut at the deli into 1-inch slices)
- 3 oz prosciutto (or more, if wanted)
- 1/2 oz fresh basil leaves
- 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tbsp white wine or champagne vinegar
- 1 tsp dried Italian herb blend
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
- Cut 1 cantaloupe melon, 1 honeydew melon, 16 oz low-moisture mozzarella, and 1 lb salami into 1-inch cubes. Place all into a large mixing bowl.
- Chop half of the 1/2 oz fresh basil leaves and place in a small bowl.
- To the chopped basil, add 5 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 2 tbsp white wine or champagne vinegar, 1 tsp dried Italian herb blend, and 1/2 tsp salt.
- Whisk the marinade to combine, then pour it over the melon, cheese, and salami in the large bowl.
- Stir to coat all of the antipasti ingredients with the vinaigrette.
- Cover the bowl and chill it in the fridge for 2-6 hours. Stir occasionally and again before serving.
- Optional: Before serving, fold each piece of the 3 oz prosciutto in half along the long edge. Roll each piece up, layering a second piece at the end, if needed, to make prosciutto flowers. Set aside.
- Optional: After 2-6 hours have elapsed, arrange the marinated cubes on a platter, alternating the ingredients to create a pretty design. Pour some of the juice/vinaigrette from the bowl over the appetizer. Garnish with the prosciutto flowers, using some of the remaining 1/2 oz fresh basil leaves as "leaves" on the "flowers." Chiffonade any remaining basil and sprinkle over the melon and salami antipasto platter and serve.
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