Salad:

• 1 small honeydew or Galia melon, peeled and seeded (I used a cantaloupe)
• Tamarind Dressing (recipe below)
• small fresh mint leaves
• Feta cheese (preferably French), crumbled
• Chile & Lime Candied Hazelnuts or toasted hazelnuts, roughly chopped (recipe below)
• prociutto, thinly sliced (I always trim the fat)
• EVOO for finishing
• freshly ground black pepper

Tamarind Dressing:

• 1/4 cup plus 2 tbsp. tamarind concentrate (not paste)
• grated zest of 2 limes (I used a microplane)
• 2 tbsp. plus 1-1/2 tsp. fresh lime juice
• 3 tbsp. sugar
• 1-1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp. sriracha sauce
• 3 tbsp. EVOO
• 1-1/2 tsp. fish sauce
• 1/2 tsp. garlic, grated on a microplane
• 1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes

In a medium bowl whisk all of the ingredients together until combined. The dressing will keep for up to 3 days in the refrigerator.

Chile & Lime Candied Hazelnuts:

• 2/3 cup sugar
• 2 tsp.. kosher salt
• 1 tsp. sweet Paprika (preferably Hungarian)
• 1/4 tsp. cayenne seasoning
• 1 egg white
• grated zest of 1 lime (I used a microplane) 
• 2 cups blanched roasted unsalted hazelnuts (I used dry roasted unsalted with no shell)
• 2 tsp. fresh lime juice

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. Line a sheet pan with a silicone mat or parchment paper lightly coated with nonstick cooking spray.

In a small bowl, mix together the sugar, salt, paprika and cayenne.

In a medium bowl, whisk the egg white with the lime zest until thick and frothy, 1 to 2 minutes. You need to work quickly here as the egg white will lose its volume with time. Fold in the hazelnuts with a rubber spatula until the nuts are evenly coated. Add the sugar-spice mixture and stir until incorporated and evenly coating all of the nuts. Add the lime juice and stir the nuts again to coat.

Spread the nuts on the prepared sheet pan and bake for 10 minutes. Coat a large spoon with nonstick cooking spray and stir the nuts again. Return to the oven for another 10 minutes. Re-oil the spoon and return to the oven for 5 minutes more, until the nuts are shiny and the sugar coating coating has turned a golden brown color. Remove from the oven and let cool; DO NOT TOUCH the nuts with your fingers until they are totally cool.

Once cool (the exterior will be completely hardened) remove from the baking mat and break the nuts apart with your hands before serving. They will keep, tightly covered at room temperature, for up to 2 weeks.

Assembly:

Cut the melon in half, remove the seeds and cut the melon into slices. Cut into enough chunks for who you are serving this to. Toss with Tamarind Dressing to taste and add some of the mint leaves. Spoon the dressed melon onto a platter or individual plates. Sprinkle the feta on top, followed by the hazelnuts. Top with prosciutto, loosely folding the meat to create height on the plate. Top with more mint leaves. Finish with a drizzle of olive oil and freshly cracked pepper.

Serve immediately after assembling.

Recipe by cookingwithauntjuju.com