Chef Margarida
Azeitonas Temperadas
The marinated olives that sit on every tasca table in Portugal, swimming in garlic, herbs, and enough azeite to make you reach for bread before you've even ordered. This is how we begin.
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Presunto com Melão
Created by
Two ingredients. That's all. Presunto from Alentejo's black pigs, melon at the peak of summer ripeness, and the understanding that the best cooking often means doing almost nothing at all.
Appetizers & Snacks
Portuguese, Alentejo
Dinner Party
Special Occasion
15 min
Active Time
0 min cook•15 min total
Yield4 servings
There's a moment every summer when the melons finally arrive. Sweet, fragrant, heavy with juice. And every summer, I think of my grandmother's kitchen in Évora, the shutters closed against the afternoon heat, a plate of presunto and melon on the table. Nothing else. Just this.
Presunto com melão is not a recipe. It's an act of trust. Trust in the farmer who raised the pig. Trust in the artisan who cured the ham for months, sometimes years. Trust in the sun that ripened the melon. Your job is simply to bring these things together and stay out of the way.
The presunto must be good. Real presunto from Alentejo, from porco preto if you can find it. These black pigs roam the cork oak forests, eating acorns, living as pigs should live. The fat is sweet, almost nutty. The meat melts on your tongue. This is not the same as Spanish jamón, though they're cousins. Presunto has its own character, a little leaner, a little earthier. It tastes like the land it comes from.
At Mesa da Avó, I serve this at the start of summer dinners. People reach for it before they've even sat down. The sweet and the salty, the soft and the silky. It's the dish that proves peasant wisdom: when the ingredients are perfect, the cook's job is to do as little as possible.
The pairing of cured ham with melon dates back centuries in the Iberian Peninsula, likely influenced by Moorish traditions of combining sweet fruits with savory meats. In Alentejo, where presunto production has been documented since at least the 15th century, this combination became the quintessential summer petisco. The presunto from porco preto (black Iberian pig) is protected by DOP status, with the finest examples cured for 24 months or more in the dry Alentejo air.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
presunto (Portuguese dry-cured ham)
Quantity
200g
sliced paper-thin
ripe cantaloupe or orange-fleshed melon
Quantity
1 (about 1 kg)
black pepper (optional)
Quantity
to taste
freshly ground
extra virgin olive oil (optional)
Quantity
for drizzling
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| presunto (Portuguese dry-cured ham)sliced paper-thin | 200g |
| ripe cantaloupe or orange-fleshed melon | 1 (about 1 kg) |
| black pepper (optional)freshly ground | to taste |
| extra virgin olive oil (optional) | for drizzling |
Equipment Needed
- •Sharp knife for slicing melon
- •Large serving platter
Instructions
- 1
Select your melon
This dish lives or dies by the ripeness of your melon. Press gently at the stem end. It should give slightly and smell sweet, almost perfumed. If it smells like nothing, it will taste like nothing. Wait another day or find a better melon. There is no technique that fixes unripe fruit.
Avó Leonor always kept melons on the windowsill until they perfumed the kitchen. That's when she knew they were ready. - 2
Prepare the melon
Halve the melon and scoop out the seeds. Cut into wedges about 2 centimeters thick, then slice off the rind. You want pieces that are easy to pick up and eat in one or two bites. Some families serve it in crescents with the rind still on. Either way is correct.
- 3
Arrange the presunto
Lay the presunto slices loosely over and around the melon wedges. Don't flatten them or press them down. You want folds and ruffles, a bit of air between the layers. The presunto should look like it fell there naturally, not like it was arranged by someone trying too hard. Drape, don't place.
- 4
Finish and serve
If you like, add a few grinds of black pepper or a thin drizzle of your best azeite. Both are optional. The dish is complete without them. Serve immediately at room temperature. Never cold. Cold presunto loses its silkiness, and cold melon mutes the sweetness. This is food for eating now, with your hands, while you talk and drink and let the evening stretch.
Chef Tips
- •The quality of your presunto matters more than any technique. If you can find presunto de porco preto from Alentejo, buy it. If you can only find regular presunto, that works too. What won't work is substituting Spanish jamón and calling it the same thing. They're different. Both good, but different.
- •Ask your charcuterie counter to slice the presunto paper-thin, almost translucent. Thick slices fight the melon instead of melting into it. If slicing at home, chill the ham slightly first for cleaner cuts.
- •The melon and presunto should be at room temperature when served. Take them out of the refrigerator at least 30 minutes before eating. Cold kills the flavors you've paid for.
- •Some old families in Alentejo add a splash of white port over the melon. Avó Leonor thought this was showing off, but I've tried it and I understand the appeal.
Advance Preparation
- •The melon can be cut and covered up to 2 hours ahead. Keep at room temperature, not refrigerated.
- •The presunto should be sliced fresh or purchased pre-sliced. If pre-sliced, bring to room temperature 30 minutes before serving.
- •Do not assemble until ready to serve. The presunto begins to dry out once plated.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 180g)
Calories
195 calories
Total Fat
11 g
Saturated Fat
3 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
8 g
Cholesterol
33 mg
Sodium
800 mg
Total Carbohydrates
10 g
Dietary Fiber
1 g
Sugars
10 g
Protein
14 g
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