Quick Pickled Watermelon Food

SWEET-AND-SPICY PICKLED WATERMELON RIND

Steps:

• Trim the green skin off 1/4 small watermelon. Remove all but 1/4 inch red fruit from the rind; cut the rind into 1/2-inch pieces. Pack into a 1-quart jar. Combine 3/4 cup each apple cider vinegar and water, 1/2 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons kosher salt, 2 teaspoons coriander seeds, 1/2 teaspoon black peppercorns and 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes in a saucepan and bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Pour over the rind; let cool. Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours and up to 1 week.

COUNTRY-STYLE RIBS WITH QUICK-PICKLED WATERMELON

Steps:

• Ribs:
• First, make the marinade. Bring brown sugar and 1/2 cup water to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring to dissolve sugar. Lower heat to medium and simmer until reduced to 1/4 cup; transfer to a medium bowl. Whisk in soy sauce and next 8 ingredients. Stir in onion. Let cool. Pour the marinade into a large resealable plastic bag.
• Rub ribs with mustard powder and add to marinade in bag; seal bag and turn ribs to coat. Place bag in a baking dish and chill, turning occasionally, for at least 6 hours and up to overnight.
• Watermelon:
• Start with the dressing. In a small saucepan over low heat, toast coriander seeds until fragrant and beginning to pop, 2-3 minutes. Transfer coriander to a baking sheet and crush slightly with the back of a cool skillet. Combine coriander, vinegar, lime juice, shallot, and honey in a small bowl. Whisk in oil and season with salt and pepper. Set vinaigrette aside.
• Place watermelon in a large bowl; add 1/2 cup vinaigrette and toss to coat. Cover and chill, tossing occasionally, for up to 1 hour to lightly pickle watermelon.
• Build a medium fire in a charcoal grill, or heat a gas grill to medium-high. Transfer ribs from bag, leaving some marinade clinging to surface, onto a baking sheet. Pour remaining marinade from bag into a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium and simmer for 3 minutes. Set marinade aside.
• Grill ribs until nicely charred and cooked to medium, about 5 minutes per side. Using tongs, dunk each rib into reserved marinade. Return ribs to grill and cook, turning once, until cooked to medium-well, about 2 minutes per side. Transfer to a platter.
• Toss tomatoes, 1/4 cup cilantro, and 1 Tbsp. vinaigrette in a medium bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Top ribs with pickled watermelon. Scatter tomato mixture over. Garnish with more cilantro. Serve, passing remaining vinaigrette alongside for drizzling over.

PICKLED WATERMELON AND WATERMELON RIND

Steps:

• In a small saucepan, combine the vinegar, sugar, salt and 4 cups water over medium heat. Bring up to a boil. Place the coriander and peppercorns on a cutting board. Lightly crush the spices with the bottom of a sturdy pan, then add them to the liquid. Turn the heat down to low, and simmer for 5 minutes. Taste for seasoning. It should be a mix of vinegary, sweet and slightly salty. Shut it off to cool slightly.
• Fill a quart-size jar with the watermelon cubes and a pint-size jar with the rind pieces.
• Pour the vinegar mixture over the melon and rind and let it cool at room temperature, uncovered, for 2 hours. Place in the refrigerator and let it chill, uncovered, overnight. Then cover tightly. The pickles will be good for 2 to 3 weeks in the refrigerator.

PICKLED WATERMELON WITH PEPPERS AND CELERY

Steps:

• Combine the sugar, salt, both vinegars, peppercorns and 1 cup cold water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring, until the sugar and salt are dissolved, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove from the heat; add the garlic, jalapeño and bay leaves. Let steep until the brine has cooled slightly, about 30 minutes.
• Meanwhile, scrub the watermelon rind several times with a damp clean dish towel, making sure to remove any excess dirt or debris. Cut the wedge in half lengthwise then slice each half crosswise into 1-inch-thick wedges, each no more than 3 inches wide. Place in a clean 1-gallon wide-mouth glass jar, alternating with the bell pepper, celery and dill sprigs (so that all the watermelon isn't sitting on the bottom). Set aside.
• Once the brine has cooled slightly, add 2 cups ice and stir until the ice melts completely. Add the 2 cups cold filtered water and stir until fully incorporated. The brine should be fully cooled by this point. If not, let it cool completely on the counter.
• Pour or ladle the brine into the jar. The watermelon and vegetables should be fully submerged. If not, add up to 1 1/2 cups cold filtered water. Close the jar with the lid and let sit in a cool place away from direct sunlight for 2 hours, then refrigerate for 24 hours.
• After the 24 hours, the pickled watermelon and vegetables are ready to enjoy! Keep any remaining in the fridge where it will be good for up to 1 month.

WATERMELON RIND PICKLES (REFRIGERATOR METHOD)

Steps:

• Bring all ingredients (except food coloring) to a rapid boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook until pickles are tender and somewhat translucent. Add green food coloring if desired. Transfer pickles, juice and cinnamon sticks to a covered glass bowl and store in the refrigerator after cooling. Discard the pickling spices.
• Wait at least 12-24 hours to serve so that all the flavors have been absorbed.

QUICK-PICKLED CUCUMBER SALAD WITH WATERMELON AND BLUEBERRIES

Steps:

• Put the cucumber, watermelon and blueberries in a medium bowl.
• Put the oil, dill, honey, relish, vinegar, mustard, celery salt, 1/4 teaspoon salt and a few cracks of pepper in a small container or jar and cover with a lid. Shake to combine. Pour the dressing over the cucumber mixture and stir gently to combine. Chill at least 2 hours and up to 4 hours.
• Garnish with dill fronds before serving.