Have you ever tried grilled cantaloupe? I mean, fruits are grilled all the time – but cantaloupe? Yes!! It’s so good and the sweet and spicy combo is shockingly addictive!
Grilled Cantaloupe
Grilled CantaloupeWe miss having an easy grill at our house, but until we get our backyard figured out, we have a small portable charcoal grill.
Because of our current reality, there isn’t much room for experimenting, so we stick to the recipes we know and love! This homemade Caribbean Jerk seasoning is always a favorite on meat and veggies!
The fun thing about this recipe for grilled cantaloupe is that it combines the very natural sweetness of the melon (don’t you just love summer produce?) with smoked paprika for some kick and honey for a bit of sweetness.
It all transforms into something memorable!
We like to pair the grilled cantaloupe with grilled chicken and lightly seasoned vegetables. It never disappoints. This is such a fun and unique flavor combination and it’s so easy to throw on the grill and serve – for 2 or 20…
How to Pick a Good Cantaloupe
How to Pick a Good CantaloupeIt’s easy to pick a ripe cantaloupe. Press gently near where the stem was pulled off (the indent in the top). If it is soft but not squishy you are good.
Another good technique is to smell that same spot, depending on how “cantaloupe-y” it smells, tells you how ripe it is. The stronger the fragrance, the riper it is!
How to Grill Fruit
Each kind of fruit is a little different when it comes to grilling, but some important things to keep in mind…
First, fruit softens as it cooks, so bigger pieces and keeping the rind/skin (if applicable) on is really a must.
Second, fruit is primarily sugar, so prepare for some fizzy, fragrant drops. It also means, you should be sure to spray or oil the grill to help keep it from sticking.
Three, fruit can char pretty quickly because of the sugars, but that doesn’t mean it’s soft, so you want to cook it away from hot, direct heat.
More Grilled Recipes
If you want to cook everything on this grill – and why wouldn’t you – try these:
BBQ Cake with Cherries (bake the cake on the grill while you enjoy dinner)
More Cantaloupe Recipes
I don’t know if there are enough cantaloupe recipes in this world, so here are my few small contributions. This coconut melon smoothie has just a few ingredients and it is SO delicious! And this cantaloupe sangria was served at our wedding, we like it so much! And while these melon skewers with mozzarella are shown with honeydew, they’d be great with cantaloupe (or a combination of the two).
SWEET + SPICY GRILLED CANTALOUPE
Ingredients
- 1 ripe cantaloupe
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika to taste
- ¼ cup honey to taste
Instructions
- Slice cantaloupe in ½" pieces. Sprinkle each side liberally with smoked paprika (not regular paprika).
- Preheat grill to medium-high. Grill cantaloupe slices 5-7 minutes per side. Remove from grill. Drizzle with honey to taste.
- If grilling other foods, cook cantaloupe last.
Luci Petlack says
I love grilled peaches so I've really been wanting to get into other grilled fruit, but the next fruit we tried was watermelon and it was so not ok (in my humble opinion watermelon should always be served cold), so needless to say I've been a little hesitant to try other grilled fruit. But this combo of paprika and cantaloupe served with chicken sounds too good to pass up!
Luci Petlack says
What a fun idea, I have never thought of doing this but it sounds amazing!
Luci Petlack says
How different and easy! It looks delicious and I'm certainly intrigued! 🙂
Luci Petlack says
I love how easy this side dish is. I hope you enjoy it if that intrigue turns to taste testing! 🙂
Luci Petlack says
It was a random thought after I bought a ripe cantaloupe at the market just a short while before dinner. Sometimes the crazy last minute ideas turn out to be the best!
Luci Petlack says
I can totally understand the grilled watermelon thing turning you off. The cantaloupe is good – it gets a lot sweeter just like with the peaches!
Luci Petlack says
Good to know…I'll give it a try!
Luci Petlack says
This looks heavenly! We've been obsessed with grilling this summer, I'll have to try this!
Luci Petlack says
Let me know what you think! I thought it was a nice accompaniment to the usually very savory grilled options!