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If you have a perfectly ripe melon—great! If you don’t, no worries. The salt, acid, and a bit of heat here will give life to lackluster specimens.
Recipe information
Yield
4 servings
Ingredients
¼
1
6
¼
½
2
1½
1
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat oven to 350°. Toast pistachios on a rimmed baking sheet, tossing once, until golden brown, 6–8 minutes; let cool. Transfer to a mortar and pestle and pound until mostly finely ground but with a few coarse pieces left. (You can also put them in a zip-top bag and use a flat-bottomed mug or rolling pin to break them up.) Transfer to a small bowl.
Step 2
Remove stalks from fennel bulb, then remove fronds from stalks. Finely chop fronds until you have a small handful (about ⅓ cup), transfer to bowl with nuts, and stir in oil. Season pistachio oil with salt. Cut fennel bulb in half lengthwise. Using a mandoline, shave fennel crosswise. Shave fennel stalks crosswise.
Step 3
Place melon and shaved fennel in a large bowl and finely grate zest from lemon over, then squeeze juice into bowl. Drizzle with vinegar and season with salt; toss salad to combine. Add basil and gently toss again just to distribute basil.
Step 4
Arrange half of salad on a platter; drizzle with some reserved pistachio oil. Top with remaining salad and drizzle with more pistachio oil. Sprinkle with Maras pepper.
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Reviews (8)
Back to TopExcellant recipe even though I had to substitute celery and celery leaves for the fennel and frond. Also, ingredient list says olive oil and the directions repeatedly says pistachio oil. Pistachio oil would have been nice but I just used EVOO as we are moving and I have used up my pistachio oil. Will try again with fennel!
carol25
7/20/2018
Absolutely Loved this salad! I typically dislike honeydew but this is my new go-to salad. It is so lively fresh and crunchy. I would have never paired these ingredients but it all comes together in perfect harmony. Thank you Carla.
Anonymous
Nelson, BC
7/26/2018
This. Is. Delicious. Never have I enjoyed honeydew so much. Have been eating it all summer.
Anonymous
Seattle
7/13/2020
I make this all summer, every summer since the recipe was first published. Leftovers are great for breakfast (yes!) and lunch.
Mary
Denver
4/19/2023