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pickled watermelon

have been hearing about all these fancy pants chefs pickling watermelon. how do you do it? what do you serve it with? sounds wild and delicious!

7 Comments:

I don't know about fancy pants chefs, but we pickle the rind, not the fruit. It's a process because you got to soak the rind in pickling lime, rinse it, stand it in vinegar overnight, rinse it, and then make the pickling syrup (too sweet for me usually) and can it. serve it with anything you want a sweet, vinegar pickle for.

My mom has been pickling watermelon rinds for years now in the old Vietnamese-style way that she grew up with. I didn't know if was fancy now! What do you know...

Intheyear... pegged it. Just remember that, at least in my pickled melon, the rind is sans the green layer. It seems like it takes way too many melons to make enough pickles to last through the winter months so be sure to invite lots of people over for a melon eating party before you start your pickling project. Mine gets served like a chutney on the side of roasted meats and once your friends get their first taste, you gotta put a lock on your pantry.

Pickled watermelon, as well as pickled cherry tomatoes, is a staple in Russian cuisine. You can find it in a jar or by a pound if you go to an authentic Russian food store. There is an abundance of them in NYC, although smaller stores may not carry it. Basically you would serve this kind of pickled watermelon as you would serve sour pickles.

Pickled watermelon rind (alas, I buy mine) is delicious wrapped in thick-cut bacon and cooked at a high temperature (400-425) for about 20 minutes.

Salty + sweet + sour = yum.

This is my restaurant's recipe. The lime isn't essential and can be omitted or substituted with a handful of fresh grape leaves. It will keep for at least a couple of weeks without canning. I love these.


WATERMELON PICKLE

4 lb Watermelon rind (outer green
Peeled, pink pulp removed)
2 qt Cold water
1 tb Slake lime
2 tb Whole allspice
2 tb Whole cloves
1 qt Vinegar
1 qt Water
3 1/2 lb Sugar
6 Pieces stick cinnamon

Remove all pink pulp from rind and peel. Weigh. Cut in
1-inch cubes. Combine cold water and lime; pour over
rind. Let stand 1 hour. Drain. Cover with fresh cold
water. Simmer 1 hour or until tender. Drain. Tie
spices in cheesecloth. Combine vinegar, remaining
water and sugar. Heat until sugar dissolves. Add spice
bag and rind. Simmer gently 2 hours. Add green
vegetable color to your taste. Pack rind in hot
sterile jars. Fill with boiling hot syrup. Seal.

Yield: approx. 12 half pints.

I've seen watermelon pickles around too, and I always thought it was the pink flesh, not the outside rind. Maybe people do both?

Hillary
Chew on That

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