Melon and Cho Cho Salad

Recipe from Denai Moore

Adapted by Bryan Washington

Updated October 11, 2023

  • An overhead view of a salad of thinly sliced melon, chayote, almonds, shallots and mint, on a light green plate.
    Chris Simpson for The New York Times. Food stylist: Maggie Ruggiero. Prop stylist: Heather Greene.
Media 1 of 1
Total Time
20 minutes
Prep Time
15 minutes
Cook Time
5 minutes
Rating
4(97)
Comments
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This melon salad, from Denai Moore’s “Plentiful: Vegan Jamaican Recipes to Repeat” (Hardie Grant, 2023) is a delight on a summer day, and a quick, surprising start to the rest of your meal. Consisting largely of sliced cantaloupe and chayote (also known as cho cho), the dish requires minimal effort: chopping, tossing and serving. The amount of acidity and herbs can be adjusted and calibrated to your preference, or the crowd that you’re cooking for. As Ms. Moore writes, “This is a salad to be eaten seasonally, as it uses so few ingredients, so it’s important that each one has the best opportunity to shine.” Nodding toward a vibrancy of flavor, confluence of textures and an eye to pleasure, it’s a salad to look forward to.  —Bryan Washington

Featured in: This Melon Salad Is Pure Pleasure

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Ingredients

Yield:4 servings

  • 1 small or ½ large cantaloupe, halved, seeded, peeled and thinly sliced

  • 1 chayote squash (cho cho), peeled, halved, seeded and finely sliced (on a mandoline if you have one)

  • 1 small shallot, sliced into half-moons

  • 30 mint leaves

  • ⅓ cup roasted salted almonds, preferably Marcona

  • Splash of coconut vinegar or white wine vinegar (about 2 teaspoons)

  • Glug of extra-virgin olive oil (about 1 tablespoon)

  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

24 grams carbs; 191 calories; 6 grams monosaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 10 grams fat; 5 grams fiber; 678 milligrams sodium; 5 grams protein; 18 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Combine cantaloupe, chayote, shallot, mint, almonds, vinegar and olive oil in a large bowl and toss together. Plate up, then sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste.

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Ratings

4 out of 5
97 user ratings
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Comments

Ka

Does anybody know how to choose a good (ripe) chayote?

María

Chayotes are always ripe but not always fresh. Look for one that’s smooth and uniformly green- no brown anywhere

Jorge David

I don't think there are "unripe" chayotes for sale in any market. Chayote ripeness would be akin to cucumber ripeness. Just buy one and use it as is.

algerae

I subbed sliced almonds (I toasted them lightly). And my shallots were very strong so I gave them a 20-min ice bath and they mellowed out very nicely. I sliced both the melon and the squash on the mandolin; thinner setting for the squash.

Tarra

Seems like In Louisiana you can only get chayote around the holidays. We call them Mirlitons (but pronounce that Mel-i-ton) and stuff them with shrimp for Thanksgiving. Since it’s August, I used an avocado instead because it was there and the salad was really good!

Maureen

Holly, I made this salad with yellow patty pan squash subbed for the chayote. Delicious! I sliced it this and did not take the seeds out. I have made this twice. We love it. I also used red onion sliced thinly (instead of shallot) and soaked in some warm water before assembling the salad. I made these substitutions because it is what I had on hand. But I thought the colors of the salad; red onion, creamy white and yellow of squash, orange melon and green mint were so beautiful together.

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Credits

Adapted from “Plentiful: Vegan Jamaican Recipes to Repeat” by Denai Moore (Hardie Grant, 2023)

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