Pickled Watermelon

This recipe gives a whole new meaning to the idea of “playing with your food.” Jump right on into food-play, Caitlin-style, with this twisted spin on the juiciest staple of the summer.

cooking information

• Yield: 4+ Cups
• Prep Time: 30 Minutes
• Cooking Time: 5 Minutes

all ingredients

• 2 Cups Red Wine Vinegar
• 2 Cups Water
• 2 Tb Sugar
• 2 Tb Kosher Salt
• 3 Serrano Chiles (or other favorite chiles)
• 4 Fresh Sage Leaves
• 6 Big Fresh Mint Leaves
• 1/2 of a Watermelon

recipe instruction

1. Prepare your watermelon. Cut into cubes or 2 -inch by 1-inch rectangles. Place in a bowl; set aside.
2. Add your vinegar, water, salt, sugar, sage, mint, and chiles (sliced in half lengthwise) to a large saute pan. Turn to high heat.
3. Cook until the sugar and salt has dissolved and you can smell the chiles and herbs in your kitchen. Approximately 5 minutes.
4. When your concoction has cooked, pour over your watermelon and let sit.
5. Cover in plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator.

cooking tips

• I like to make this the day I plan on serving it. The longer you let it sit the more intense the flavor. This will store in your refrigerator for up to a week (if it lasts that long).
• Use the chiles according to how you handle heat. If you like things spicy you can always use more powerful chiles or more Serranos than just three. If you can’t handle a lot of heat you can completely omit the chiles from the recipe.
• We served these with Braised Pork Belly and fresh red onion but these would be great as a garnish to a cool cocktail or a fun substitute to the classic dill pickle.