Spiced Watermelon Rind Recipes

SPICY WATERMELON

Steps:

• Mix cumin, coriander, chili powder, salt, and cayenne pepper together in a bowl.
• Place watermelon into serving bowls; sprinkle with spice mixture. Squeeze lime juice over spiced watermelon.

PICKLED WATERMELON RINDS

Steps:

• In a glass bowl, stir together the water and salt until the salt has dissolved. Add the watermelon rinds and any additional water needed to cover them. Cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight.
• Drain the watermelon rinds from the salted water, and place into a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Cover with fresh water, then place over high heat and bring to a boil. Boil rinds for 30 minutes, then drain and set aside.
• Meanwhile, tie the cloves, mustard seed, and cinnamon sticks in a piece of cheesecloth. Place into a large saucepan or Dutch oven along with the vinegar and sugar. Bring to a boil over high heat, then remove from the heat and let stand for 15 minutes. Stir in the drained watermelon rind, then return to the stove over high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and simmer until the rind is transparent and the syrup is slightly thickened, 45 to 50 minutes. Remove and discard the spices after 40 minutes. Stir in the food coloring if desired.
• Ladle into hot sterilized 1 pint jars, leaving 1/2 inch head space. Seal jars with new lids and rings, making sure you have cleaned the jar's rims of any residue. Process jars under 1 inch of water in a boiling water bath for 10 minutes. Let cool overnight, then press down on the lids to make sure they are sealed before storing. Store any unsealed jars in the refrigerator and enjoy those first.

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.

WATERMELON RIND PRESERVES

Steps:

• Trim green skin and pink flesh from watermelon rind; chop enough rind to yield 6 cups. In a large bowl, stir salt and 2 quarts warm water until salt is dissolved. Add 6 cups chopped rind. Cover and refrigerate 5-6 hours. Drain and rinse in cold water; drain. Cover rind with cold water and let stand 30 minutes. Drain. Transfer rind to a large saucepan; cover with water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until just tender, 10-15 minutes; drain., To make preserves, in a stockpot, combine sugar, lemon juice and 7 cups water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 5 minutes. Stir in rind. Place cinnamon, cloves and cardamom on a double thickness of cheesecloth. Gather corners of cloth to enclose seasonings; tie securely with string. Add to stockpot. Return to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, until rind is clear, 30-45 minutes. Discard spice bag., Remove from heat. Ladle hot mixture into 6 hot sterilized half-pint jars, leaving 1/4-in. headspace. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if necessary, by adding hot mixture. Wipe rims. Center lids on jars; screw on bands until fingertip tight., Place jars into canner with water simmering, ensuring that they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil; process 5 minutes. Remove jars and cool.

SWEET PICKLED WATERMELON RIND

Steps:

• Cut watermelon in half; remove flesh and seeds. Using a metal spoon, scrape rind to remove all traces of pink. Cut rind crosswise in 1-inch-wide strips. Using a vegetable peeler or a small sharp knife, peel the green skin from the rind. Cut away any bruises or bad spots. Cut rind into 2-inch lengths.
• In a large nonreactive bowl, combine salt and 1 gallon cold water. Add rind; let soak in brine overnight. Rinse rind 2 or 3 times in fresh cold water, and drain well.
• Combine sugar and vinegar in a large nonreactive pot, and heat until sugar is dissolved. Fold an 8-by-16-inch piece of cheesecloth in half to make a square; rinse, and squeeze dry. Place ginger, spices, and lemon on the cheesecloth. Tie cloth closed with one end of a 12-inch piece of kitchen twine. Tie a loop in the other end, and slip it over the handle of a wooden spoon. Suspend spice bag in the vinegar syrup by placing the spoon across the top of the pot. Add rind to the pot, and return to a boil. Reduce heat, simmer for 30 minutes, and let sit overnight. Discard spice bag.
• Wash seven 1-pint canning jars, lids, and screw bands with hot, soapy water, and rinse well. Place jars upright on a wire rack in the bottom of a large pot. Fill pot with hot water until jars are submerged by 1 to 2 inches, and bring to a boil. Boil for 15 minutes. Turn off heat, leaving jars in water. Sterilize lids according to manufacturer's instructions.
• Using stainless-steel tongs, remove jars from water, and place on a layer of clean towels. With a slotted spoon, transfer rind to jars, leaving 3/4 inch of space beneath the rim. Return syrup to a boil. Pour hot syrup over rind, covering it by 1/4 inch and leaving 1/2 inch of space beneath the rim. Slide a clean plastic chopstick or wooden skewer along inside of each jar to release any air bubbles. Wipe mouth of jar with a clean, damp cloth. Place hot lid on jar; turn screw band firmly without forcing.
• Place a wire rack in the bottom of a large pot, and fill partway with hot water. Using a jar lifter, place jars upright on rack. Add enough hot water to cover by 2 inches, and bring to a boil. Boil for 10 minutes. Remove jars from water bath; let stand on clean dish towels for 24 hours. Check cool jars for the slight indentation in the lids that indicates a vacuum seal. Jars that do not seal properly or that leak during processing should be stored in the refrigerator and pickles consumed within a week. Allow sealed pickles to mellow in a cool, dry place for 2 to 3 weeks. Store opened jars in the refrigerator.

PICKLED WATERMELON RIND

Steps:

• Using a vegetable peeler, peel outer skin and tough green layer from watermelon rind; cut rind into 2-by- 1/2-inch strips.
• In a medium saucepan, combine 5 cups water with 3 tablespoons salt; bring to a boil. Add rind. Cook at a rapid simmer over medium-high until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Drain, and transfer to a heatproof bowl (reserve saucepan).
• In reserved saucepan, combine vinegar, sugar, pickling spice, remaining teaspoon salt, and 1 cup water. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar and salt; pour hot liquid into bowl with rind. Use a small plate to submerge rind into liquid. Let cool to room temperature. Transfer to a container; cover and refrigerate in liquid at least 2 hours and up to 2 weeks.

WATERMELON RIND PICKLES

Steps:

• Place rind in a large nonreactive bowl; stir in water and salt. Refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Rinse and drain well., In a Dutch oven, mix sugar, vinegar, 2 cinnamon sticks, cloves and peppercorns. Bring to a boil. Add rinds; return to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, 10 minutes or until tender. Discard cinnamon sticks., Carefully ladle hot mixture into 4 hot 1-pint jars, leaving 1/2-in. headspace. Add a remaining cinnamon stick to each jar. Remove air bubbles and adjust headspace, if necessary, by adding hot mixture. Wipe rims. Center lids on jars; screw on bands until fingertip tight. , Place jars into canner with simmering water, ensuring that they are completely covered with water. Bring to a boil; process for 10 minutes. Remove jars and cool.

CANDIED WATERMELON RIND

Steps:

• Place watermelon rind in a deep pot and add the sugar.
• Cover and let stand at room temperature overnight (at least 4 hours) to macerate.
• In the morning, bring to a simmer, stirring to thoroughly dissolve the sugar.
• Add the remaining ingredients, cover and simmer for 2 1/2 hours. Cubes will be translucent when done.
• Uncover and bring to a boil. Cook for 30 minutes, stirring often, to reduce the syrup to a thick caramel-like liquid.
• While still hot, ladle into sterilized jars and process in a waterbath for 30 minutes (the original calls for turning the jars upside down for a minute to create a seal but to correlate with the US safety guidelines I suggest waterbath canning for shelf-storage. If you're keeping it in the fridge, skip this part!).

SPICED WATERMELON HONEY

Steps:

• First, remove all green outer rind and red meat from watermelon rind and discard, retaining only the white part. Force remaining white rind through food chopper, using coarse blade. Measure it, there should be 6 cups. Put in a large saucepan or stockpot with water.
• Cook slowly, uncovered, for 25 minutes, or until melon is translucent. Add sugar and lemon. Tie spices in a cheesecloth bag and add with salt to first mixture. Cook slowly, stirring frequently, for 1 hour, or until thickened. Remove spice bag, ladle mixture into hot sterilized jars; seal.
• Yield: about 2-1/2 pints.