This cantaloupe and cucumber salad combines sweet melon, crisp cucumber, creamy avocado, and pickled jalapeños with a simple lime-Dijon dressing for a fresh, subtly sweet and tangy summer salad. It’s getting hot here in Abu Dhabi, and my desire for both fruit and salad is definitely on the rise. Depending on your carb limit, though, fitting fruit into a keto diet can be tricky. Berries tend to be the easiest option, but cantaloupe is one of the fruits that can still work in smaller quantities for some people with a less restrictive carb limit. It has about 7g net carbs per 100g, so unfortunately this salad may not fit everyone’s macros. My apologies!

The salad itself is simple and subtle, with the cantaloupe providing sweetness against the cucumber, avocado, onion, lime, and Dijon mustard. The pickled jalapeños add some heat, although I find the spice level fairly mild as written. If you want more of a kick, add crushed red pepper flakes or swap some of the jalapeño for a hotter pepper. You could also replace the cantaloupe with a similar amount of watermelon, Asian pear, or peach, which have roughly similar carb levels and would give the salad a slightly different sweet-and-savory flavor profile.

There’s plenty of room to build on the basic salad depending on what you’re serving it with. Fresh mint or cilantro would work nicely with the melon and lime, while a salty vegan feta or goat-style cheese can provide a savory contrast to the sweet fruit. The Sham Chèvre from Keto for Vegans: Book 2 is another cheese option. Toasted pumpkin seeds, hemp hearts, or other seeds and chopped nuts add crunch and some protein. The salad itself isn’t particularly high in protein, so I recommend pairing it with a protein-rich main rather than relying on it to make a complete meal.