Rock Melon — season, tips, and recipes in New Zealand
Rock Melon is a fruit available in New Zealand during December, January, February, March, peaking in January, February. This page is a practical guide for home cooks: when to buy rock melon, how to pick a good one, how to store it, what it goes well with, three original recipes, and detailed nutrition information.
Also called cantaloupe. NZ-grown melons are mainly from Gisborne and Hawke's Bay. The orange flesh is sweeter than honeydew.
How to pick a good one
Should smell sweet at the stem end. The skin should have a pronounced netting pattern. Should yield slightly when pressed at the blossom end.
How to store it
Ripen at room temperature until fragrant. Fridge once cut. Eat within 2-3 days.
Goes well with
prosciutto: One of the best two-ingredient combinations in food. Salty, fatty cured meat against very sweet, fragrant melon creates a back-and-forth that makes both taste more intense than either alone.
mint: Mint's coolness amplifies melon's refreshing quality. The combination is a simple salad or drink ingredient that requires almost no effort.
lime: Lime acid sharpens melon's sweetness and makes the aromatic compounds more volatile -- which means the melon smells and tastes more of itself.
feta: Salt and sweetness. Feta's crumbling texture and mild acidity add a savoury dimension to what is otherwise a one-dimensional fruit.
Recipes
Melon & Prosciutto
The Italian classic. 2 minutes.
Ingredients: half rock melon, 8 slices prosciutto, black pepper, olive oil
Method: Slice melon into wedges. Drape prosciutto over each. Crack pepper, drizzle oil.
Melon & Mint Salad
Refreshing, light, summer.
Ingredients: half rock melon, handful mint, 1 lime, pinch chilli flakes
Method: Cube melon. Tear mint. Toss with lime juice and chilli.
Chilled Melon Soup
Starter that surprises people.
Ingredients: 1 rock melon, 200ml yoghurt, 1 lime (juice), pinch salt, mint to serve
Method: Blend melon flesh with yoghurt, lime juice, salt until smooth. Chill 1 hour. Serve with torn mint.
Nutrition
One cup provides 120% of your daily vitamin A and 100% of your daily vitamin C. That's an exceptional combination from one food. The orange colour comes from beta-carotene. Very hydrating at 90% water. About 54 calories per cup. One of the most nutrient-dense fruits per calorie.