Create Showstopping Dishes with Watermelon
When summer peaks, few fruits embody the season’s abundance like watermelon, with its pink to ruby-red flesh offering hydration and surprising culinary versatility. This humble fruit transforms from a simple snack to a sophisticated ingredient with remarkable ease. From savory applications that highlight its subtle sweetness to creative desserts that celebrate its natural juiciness, watermelon proves that seasonal eating can be both nourishing and endlessly inventive.
Kick off your next backyard barbecue with Food Network's Watermelon Pico de Gallo. Adding watermelon to pico de gallo results in the right mix of sweet and savory. This pico de gallo combines the bright flavors and colors of watermelon, red onion, jalapeno, cilantro, lime, and green, yellow, and red bell peppers. For fresh and creative food pairings, serve with chips, grilled chicken, or grilled fish.
This refreshing Watermelon Salad is a go-to recipe for all summer. The watermelon adds bursts of refreshing bites, while the feta offers a hint of saltiness. It’s a great salad to experiment with as well. Add in cucumber and mint, or play around with different vinaigrette flavors.
A Night Owl’s Grilled Pineapple and Watermelon Fruit Kabobs bring the heat and the sweet! They’re made even better by basting pineapple juice and coconut milk onto the kabobs before grilling. These fruit kabobs make a great side dish to grilled chicken breasts for a light and healthy dinner. You can even serve these as a healthy dessert.
Remember eating fruit roll-ups as a kid? You can relive the fun with homemade Watermelon Fruit Leathers from Domestically Blissful. Got kids? Let them join you in the kitchen to help spread the watermelon puree onto a baking sheet and roll up the fruit leather after it bakes. This tasty treat takes summer snacking to a new level.
Watch everyone’s eyes light up with delight when you surprise them with Mix & Match Mama’s Watermelon Cupcakes. The watermelon flavor comes from watermelon puree added to the cake mix and frosting. The genius mash-up results in a sweet treat that tastes just like summer.
Turn fresh watermelon and sugar into a sweet, summery syrup perfect for drizzling over ice cream, angel food cake, or stirring into sparkling water. It’s a simple way to squeeze every last drop of flavor out of watermelon season. Make this Watermelon Syrup recipe from Watermelon.org.
Want more ways to enjoy summer’s star fruit? Try watermelon pops, watermelon lemonade, watermelon smoothies, and watermelon gazpacho.
As these recipes show, watermelon’s potential extends far beyond the picnic table, offering opportunities to incorporate this nutritious fruit into every course of your summer menu. Embrace watermelon’s versatility this season and discover how this summer staple can elevate your cooking from ordinary to extraordinary.
