Netted melon / Cantaloupe
It is named after Canteluppo, a former papal villa
near Rome where it was cultivated in the 1700's. Today the netted
melon / cantaloupe is also grown in Canada.
The cantaloupe that is found in Quebec and North American supermarkets is a variety of the netted melon. The cantaloupe is oval-shaped and its beige skin is covered with white vein-like lines or netting. Its sweet flesh can be either salmon-pink or orange-yellow; some varieties today can even be green. The center of the cantaloupe is filled with a mass of tiny inedible pips.
- Select a heavy melon with dry skin, free of soft spots. It should be pale yellow, never green. The white vein-like lines should be slightly raised on the surface and it should have a lightly fragrant scent.
- Melon is a good accompaniment with ham or deli meats.
- It is excellent in rice salads or with chicken.
- Can be puréed, or made into jam, marmalade or chutney.
- Serve with port and prosciutto, or simply sliced with maple syrup.
- Can be mixed with cucumber and lemon juice, with yogurt, or with vinaigrette with lemon juice.
- Add to salads that contain sharp cheeses like Roquefort or Gorgonzola.
- Never press down on the extremities of the fruit to check ripeness, all this does is damage the fruit.
 Scallop, Cantaloupe And Foie Gras Tartare |
 Peppered Strawberries, Cantaloupe And Raspberries |
 Cantaloupe-Bocconcini and smoked ham Salad |
 Melon Sherbet |
 Cantaloupe and Lobster Salad |
Click here and discover all our delicious cantaloupe recipes !
The netted melon / cantaloupe is available year-round in your METRO grocer's display.
Melons with pale or white flesh have a high level of potassium and are a good source of vitamin C.
The melon can be kept at room temperature for a few days. It
should be refrigerated once ripened. Because it contains ethylene,
which can speed up the ripening process of other foods in the
refrigerator, it is important to cover the cantaloupe in plastic
before refrigerating.
To freeze, remove the skin and the seeds, cut it in slices, balls
or cubes then add sugar (125 ml per litre of fruit, 1 cup sugar for
4 cups fruit) and the juice of one lemon and place in a sealed
container. The flesh tends to soften with freezing so do not
defrost completely before serving.