When my brothers and I were growing up, my mom would host a lot of family parties for holidays, birthdays, special occasions, etc. They were BIG parties, often with thirty to forty people, and guys, they were a lot of work. My mom would spend weeks preparing, depending on the size of the party, and she’d really put in the work to make everything great for everyone. Her summer parties…mostly 4th of July and birthday parties, were always fun. My dad would usually do a bunch of food on the grill. My mom would make batch after batch of cheesy potatoes and fruit salad…and lots of special k-bars…her summertime specialty. Everything was delicious, but at the end of the night, I’d always find myself picking through the fruit salad bowl for all the watermelon – my favorite. Something about watermelon or melon of any kind is just so good in the summertime. As a kid I was only used to eating melon straight up, but now? I’m loving having fun with simple summer melon recipes, which brings me to these fun skewers. They remind me a bit of my mom’s salads, but just done up in a new way! These are so fun, simple, and of course, delicious.
One of my favorite summer combos is melon, basil, and mozzarella. It gives off a very “Italian Summer” type vibe, especially if you add a little prosciutto to that mix. I’ve done melon salads before, but never melon skewers. And you know, the skewers are just better – because they are fun!
Here’s the easy process
You’ll want to start with the mozzarella. I toss it with basil pesto (mine is a homemade pistachio pesto) and let the mozzarella sit for a few minutes to marinate. While the mozzarella is marinating make all the melon balls using, watermelon, cantaloupe, and honeydew.
Now, let’s talk about the vinaigrette
It’s a mix of high-quality extra virgin olive oil, balsamic vinegar, lemon, honey, sweet fig jam, and a pinch of red pepper flakes. It’s actually my go-to vinaigrette for weekday salads. I’ve loved balsamic and fig jam together for the longest time and have always found this vinaigrette to be delicious when paired with a fruit salad. It’s perfect with watermelon and mozzarella cheese because it balances the sweet and salty flavors.
To assemble, just layer up the melon balls, mozzarella, and basil, then drizzle with the vinaigrette…and that’s it. These are great to make ahead and look so beautiful on any table. We’re loving them over here, and my hope is that these will be a staple at your upcoming 4th of July parties and summer BBQs. They’re really simple, but look extra fancy, and taste even better…so they never disappoint!
Looking for other summery fruit recipes? Here are some favorites: Greek Watermelon Feta Salad with Basil Vinaigrette Peach Thyme Tarts Melon Basil Burrata Salad with Crispy Prosciutto Lastly, if you make these Marinated Mozzarella Melon Skewers, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
