5 Zesty Ways to Season Your Watermelon
I don’t know if it’s farther south or something special for my grandmother, but I grew up eating a lot of melon for dessert, and it was always, always, always served with a little salt.
As a child, I didn’t know why salt was such a necessary part of my family’s diet when I ate melons – it turns out it enhances flavor and reduces bitterness – but I knew I liked it , and I knew that watermelon, melon, and honeydew felt naked without a little sodium chloride.
This passion for salting summer fruits led to further experimentation, especially in the case of watermelon, resulting in the sweet fruit being paired with a variety of other foods and flavors. The key to a good couple? There must always be a salty component, otherwise it will all taste flat. Here are a few of my favorites:
- Watermelon + feta + red onion + red wine vinegar: Dice the melon and sprinkle with chopped feta and very thinly sliced onion. Drizzle with vinegar, stir and let everyone get to know each other in the refrigerator until it cools.
- Watermelon + prosciutto + mint: Wrap the melons in prosciutto slices. Place on a serving dish and sprinkle with finely chopped fresh mint on top.
- Watermelon + lime + chili powder + salt: Squeeze fresh lime juice onto melon wedges and season with chili powder and salt to taste. (Bonus: Soak the melon in tequila the night before.)
- Watermelon + basil + fresh mozzarella + olive oil + balsamic + salt: cube or ball of melon and stir with torn basil leaves, small balls of fresh mozza, oil and vinegar. Season with large flakes of crispy Maldona.
- Watermelon + fish sauce + rice vinegar + ginger + peanuts: Whisk equal parts fish sauce and rice vinegar with fresh finely chopped ginger. Stir in melon cubes and sprinkle with peanuts.
If this is all too much effort for the hot summer months, just grab a salt shaker. I promise you will not be disappointed.