Corn and Cantaloupe Salad

Make this corn and cantaloupe salad with pickled red onions and roasted chile when fresh corn is at its sweetest. 

Enjoy this summery salad for lunch or as a side for dinner. It's also great for bringing to a potluck, cookout, or a picnic. The ingredients hold up well, even when the salad is made a day ahead of time. The corn stays crunchy and the cantaloupe stays juicy. 

I was able to enjoy this salad for days!

Ingredients In This Corn and Cantaloupe Salad:

Sweet Corn: Use the freshest, sweetest corn you can find. 

Red Onion: You will do a quick pickle of the red onions, along with the chile. The pickling mellows out both the onions and chile and adds the right amount of acidity. 

Fresh Chile Pepper: I used a Hatch chile, which is only available in late summer. For other times of the year, use an Anaheim chile, or if you can't find one, a poblano chile is a good substitute. 

What I love about Hatch chiles is that they come in three different heat levels and are super meaty. For this salad, use the milder or medium heat version, which is similar to an Anaheim chile. For reference, both are much milder than a Jalapeño. 

From the Pantry: Sugar, salt, and olive oil. 

Fresh Herbs: Mint and tarragon. 

Lemon Juice. 

Red Wine Vinegar. 

Cantaloupe: For this salad, I used a "waterloupe" from Melissa's Produce. It has a texture that resembles a watermelon but the flavor of a cantaloupe. It's very juicy and super sweet. It's also somewhat larger than a standard cantaloupe. You can use it in any recipe that calls for cantaloupe. 

To Make This Salad: 

First, roast the chile either over a flame. on the grill, or in the broiler, which is a method I use to make roasted jalapeño salsa. To broil the chile, split it in half, place it skin side up on a foil lined baking sheet, and then broil it until the skin deeply charred. Then, place it in a plastic bag or lidded bowl to steam while it cools, and then peel off the skin. 

Slice the chile into thin strips. 

Next, pickle the onion and chile for an hour or two in a mixture of vinegar, sugar, salt, and a bit of water. 

After that, assemble the salad. Toss together the corn kernels, cantaloupe, lemon juice, olive oil, a little more salt, and the herbs and serve. If you are assembling the salad in advance, you can choose to add the mint and tarragon when serving. 

I added it early and it survived just fine. 

Because you are using raw corn, be sure that it is super fresh when you buy it and use it right away. To strip the corn from the cob, you can use a sharp knife. Run the knife along the cob to strip off the kernels. It helps to do this in a wide bowl to catch any flying kernels. 

I actually broke down and bought a corn stripper and am pretty happy with it. It looks like a vegetable peeler but with a curved blade. No flying corn kernels. 

More Summery Salads:

Mixed Greens, Peach, and Corn Salad

Salad Niçoise

Shrimp Salad with Bibb Lettuce, Tomatoes, and Peas

Greek Salad with Tomatoes and Feta

Tomato and Fennel Salad

Watermelon Salad with Mint and Lime

Welcome to Farmers Market Week! 

This is the week we celebrate all things found at the Farmers Market. There are ten bloggers sharing over 25 recipes this week. From desserts to entrees and sides, there’s something for everyone.

• Blueberry Salad by Art of Natural Living
• Cherry Compote by Magical Ingredients
• Chocolate Pudding Zucchini Bread Muffins by Faith, Hope, Love, & Luck Survive Despite a Whiskered Accomplice
• Corn and Cantaloupe Salad by Karen's Kitchen Stories
• Grilled Cabbage by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Homemade Strawberry Shortcake by Blogghetti
• Jalapeño Creamed Corn by Cheese Curd In Paradise
• Radish Salad with Orange Vinaigrette by Jolene's Recipe Journal
• Spicy Avocado and Egg Toast by A Little Fish in the Kitchen
• Spicy Watermelon and Feta Salad by A Kitchen Hoor's Adventures

Corn and Cantaloupe Salad with Red Onion and Roasted Chiles

Yield: 4

Author: Karen Kerr

Prep time: 30 MinInactive time: 1 HourTotal time: 1 H & 30 M

Make this corn and cantaloupe salad with pickled red onions and roasted chile when fresh corn is at its sweetest. 

Ingredients

• 1 large Hatch or Anaheim chile pepper, roasted, peeled, and cut into thin strips
• 1/3 red onion, peeled and thinly sliced with the grain
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon granulated sugar
• Corn kernels cut from four ears of fresh raw corn, about 2 cups
• 1 heaping cup diced cantaloupe
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons roughly chopped fresh mint
• 1 tablespoon fresh tarragon leaves

Instructions

1. Combine the chile and red onion in a small bowl and add the vinegar, water, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and sugar. Cover and let soak for at least an hour to pickle.
2. In a medium to large bowl, combine the corn and cantaloupe. Drain the chile and onions and add them to the bowl. Add the lemon juice, olive oil, 1 teaspoon of salt, and toss everything together. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
3. When ready to serve the salad, toss in the mint and tarragon.

Nutrition Facts

Calories

158

Fat (grams)

8 g

Sat. Fat (grams)

1 g

Carbs (grams)

21 g

Fiber (grams)

3 g

Net carbs

18 g

Sugar (grams)

9 g

Protein (grams)

3 g

Cholesterol (grams)

0 mg

https://www.karenskitchenstories.com/2025/08/corn-and-cantaloupe-salad.html

Karen's Kitchen Stories

corn, cantaloupe

salad

American

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Recipe adapted from Deep Run Roots: Stories and Recipes from My Corner of the South by Vivian Howard (2016).