Description
This is not your average pickled watermelon recipe — to start with, it’s not sweet like most, but instead, it’s dill-pickled with fragrant lemongrass, mustard seed, dill, and garlic (and in select jars we’ve even added a delicious spicy component and a few poppy seeds). At first thought, this may seem like a pickling trainwreck, but all of these flavors work really well and add a perfect crunch to just about anything.
Ingredients
Scale
Equipment
- 4 (16-ounce) Mason pint canning jars, or equivalent (473ml)
Ingredients for the brine
- 4 to 6 cups watermelon rind, peeled and sliced or diced (enough to fill 4 pint jars) (600-900g)
- 3 cups white distilled vinegar (715g)
- 3 cups of water (715g)
- 1 tablespoon granulated sugar (12g)
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt (18g)
Ingredients to pack inside each pint jar (473ml)
- 2 fresh dill sprigs (or alternatively use 1/2 teaspoon dried dill) (1/2g)
- 1 medium garlic clove
- one 2-inch piece of fresh lemongrass sliced vertically in half (6g)
- 1/4 teaspoon mustard seed (1g)
- a pinch of poppy seed (optional)
- 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (optional)
Instructions
- Prepare the watermelon rind. Peel the skin leaving a small amount of the red/pink flesh intact. Using a mandoline (or very sharp knife or vegetable peeler), slice the melon to create paper-thin “ribbons” and chop or dice the remaining pieces to make the “tidbits”. Set aside while you prepare the brine and pack the jars.
- Sterilize the jars. Wash and rinse the jars and sterilize them by washing, rinsing, and boiling them for 10 minutes in a hot water bath. Alternatively, you may sterilize them using the oven method — place the jars onto a sheet tray and bake in a preheated 320°F/160°C oven for approximately 20 minutes.
- Pack each jar. Add the dill, garlic, lemongrass, mustard seed, poppy seed, and cayenne pepper (if using) to each jar. Then add the watermelon rind being sure to leave 1/2″ (1.5cm) headspace (clearance) from the top so you avoid compromising the seal.
- Sterilize the lid and band. Place the cleaned lid and band into a small pot of water and bring to a boil to sterilize it and also warm up the “gasket” for a better seal.
- Make the brine. Place all of the brine ingredients into a large stockpot and bring to a boil, make sure the sugar and salt have dissolved, reduce heat to a simmer, and using a ladle start filling each jar one by one, being sure to leave 1/2″ (1.5cm) headspace. As soon as the first jar is filled, clean and wipe any brine from the top of the jar with a hot, wet towel, and top with the lid and band, and tighten to close and seal. Turn the jars upside down and leave them for 24 hours to cool and complete the sealing process. *Tighten the lids just to “finger tight” seal to allow some of the air to naturally escape during the sealing process. Enjoy!
Notes
- Scale this recipe for larger crowds or cookouts and BBQs
- You may substitute rice wine vinegar for the distilled white vinegar.
- Sterilizing the jars — Most canners and picklers I grew up with, use the boiling method because turning on the oven in the middle of summer (when much of the yearly canning takes place) would be unbearable.
- As you use up the watermelon get creative with the leftover brine by re-purposing it for vinaigrettes, etc.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Vim + Vinegar
- Method: Pickling
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 3 to 4 Ribbons
