C – Being a food blogger, you can have a lot of failures.
The first time I made pickled watermelon rind it was a huge failure. I thought making pickled watermelon rind tastes like dill pickles would be a good idea. Nope. It tasted so bad.
I imagined them being crispy like cucumbers, but the texture was soft and they had an unpleasant flavor.
This time I did some research. A lot of recipes made the pickled watermelon rinds sweet. It made sense. Watermelons are sweet, so why not make it a sweet pickle.
After the first, failed attempt at making pickled watermelon rind, I also figured out that anything you add to the watermelon rind will absorb really well.
It made sense, since my parents used watermelon rind in soups and stews. The watermelon rind would always taste like the stew. Watermelon rind doesn’t have much flavor on its own.
| Watermelon Week 2015: Pickled Watermelon Rind |
- 4 cups watermelon rind, peeled and cut into 1 inch cubes
- 1 serrano chili, sliced with seeds
- 1 thumb-sized ginger, peeled and julliened
- 2 star anise pods
- 2 Tbsp kosher salt
- 1 tsp black peppercorns
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup unseasoned rice vinegar
- Place all ingredients into a medium pot. Heat on medium until disolved and mixed well.
- Turn off heat and let cool to room temperature.
- Place into a Mason or other sealed jar.
- Store in refrigerator for 4 days.
- Open and serve.
- Enjoy.
So I had to try out this recipe. Sweet, sour, a bit salty and spicy. Just a few days after picking, it was great. Just what I hoped for. I wasn’t sure what I was going to do with these pickles, after I pickled them.
I added it to a salad and it was great. It would also be good twist to use a palette cleanser after eating sushi or a large meal.
Adapted from: http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/pickled-watermelon-rind