Fresh, light, and flavourful is how I would describe this beautiful appetizer. Sweet cantaloupe melon, crispy cucumber, and a light and airy, whipped lemon mascarpone make this salmon tartare perfect for a summer day. It takes almost no time at all to put together, yet is sure to impress. And, since you can make it ahead of time, it's fantastic for entertaining.

This recipe can serve between two to four, but it's so good that you'll definitely want portions to be on the generous side. 😉 Fresh chives and dill complement the flavours wonderfully. Piling the whipped lemon mascarpone and colourful tartare onto a toasted crostini is simply delightful.

Want to add another delicious, summery melon touch? Enjoy this salad with a melon margarita or two!

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Ingredients
Instructions
Substitutions
Storage
📖 Recipe

Summer melon salmon tartare with lemon mascarpone on a plate beside a bowl of toasted baguette slices.

Ingredients

Sushi-grade salmon
Cantaloupe
Cucumber
Chives
Mascarpone
Milk
Freshly squeezed lemon juice
Dill
Salt & pepper
Edible flowers (optional)

See recipe card below for quantities.

Instructions

Start by finely chopping sushi-grade salmon, cantaloupe melon, and cucumber into roughly the same size pieces.

Three bowls holding chopped salmon, cucumber, and melon pieces.

Before you cut up your cucumber, I recommend that you slice out and discard the seeded section. This will help to keep your tartare crisp and not mushy, especially if you're making it ahead of time.

A wedge of cucumber with the interior seeded area cut off.

Combine the chopped salmon, melon, and cucumber together in a bowl along with finely chopped chives. Stir them together until they are well blended, then place the bowl covered in the fridge for at least twenty minutes for the flavours to blend.

Chopped salmon, melon, cucumber, and chives mixed together in a bowl.

Lemon Mascarpone

Whip the mascarpone cheese and milk together in a bowl. Add in freshly squeezed lemon juice and mix well. I like the lemon flavour to be prominent, so I usually use between a tablespoon and a half to two tablespoons of lemon juice. Then, stir in fresh dill, salt, and pepper. Taste test and adjust the flavour to your preference.

Edible Flower Garnish

The pretty, edible flower that I used to decorate this dish is the star flower, also known as borage. The star flower tastes like cucumber, so it makes a tasty, not to mention beautiful, addition to many dishes.

I'm growing borage for the first time this year and my plants are bursting with these flowers. Be careful when handling the stems and full grown leaves though, as they are covered in tiny spines.

A gloved hand holding a stem of borage flowers.

plating

This recipe makes enough for either two larger servings (as pictured) or four smaller ones. To plate the way I did in the images, make a ring of tartare around the plate, then spoon the whipped lemon mascarpone into the centre. Garnishing with edible flowers if desired - this colourful dish is beautiful with or without it.

A hand holding a toasted baguette slice topped with salmon tartare.

Substitutions

The salmon in the recipe can be substituted with sushi-grade tuna if you prefer.
Cantaloupe can be swapped out for honeydew melon, though I prefer to use cantaloupe to give more colour variation.
The best substitute for mascarpone cheese would be crème fraîche.

Storage

Once plated, the summer melon salmon tartare can be eaten right away, or you can set it in the fridge for up to a few hours to have ready for later. This makes it a beautiful and convenient appetizer for servings guests during a summer get together.

Summer melon salmon tartare with lemon mascarpone, garnished with edible borage flowers.

📖 Recipe

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Summer Melon Salmon Tartare with Lemon Mascarpone

Ingredients