Pickled Watermelon Rind
- COOK TIME
- 50 Min
Waste not, want not fits this easy recipe for pickled watermelon rind. If you've never tried it, don't knock it! Its sweet and spicy flavor is a hit as a snack, appetizer or a relish for grilled fish or chicken.
What You'll Need
- 9 cup water, divided
- 4 cup (1-inch) chunks peeled watermelon rind (see Tips)
- 1 cup white vinegar
- 3 1/2 cup sugar
- 3 cinnamon sticks
- 1/2 teaspoon whole cloves
What to Do
- In a large pot, bring 8 cups water and the watermelon rind to a boil over high heat. Boil for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the rind is fork-tender; drain and return rind to the pot.
- Add the remaining 1 cup water, the vinegar, sugar, cinnamon sticks, and cloves; bring to a boil over high heat.
- Reduce heat to medium, and cook 35 to 40 minutes, or until liquid has thickened slightly, stirring frequently.
- Remove from heat and allow to cool. Transfer to an airtight container and chill overnight before serving.
Makes about 2 cups.
Tips
To prepare watermelon rind for this recipe, cut up a watermelon, separating the sweet pink meat from the white rind. Use a vegetable peeler to peel the green skin off the rind then cut the rind into 1-inch chunks.
This recipe is for watermelon rind, but there are so many ways to use sweet, pink watermelon flesh other than simply eating slices! You can puree it in the blender and:
- Add it to plain yogurt with other favorite add-ins
- Use it as the base for a rich-tasting yet light sauce for grilled fish or chicken
- Add it to bottled vinaigrette to give salads extra "WOW"!
- Jazz up a pitcher of lemonade or iced tea
Whatever puree you don't use right away can be frozen in small batches to keep giving you reasons to say..."OOH IT'S SO GOOD!!"
For more watermelon recipes and tips, visit www.watermelon.org.