Deconstructing the watermelon

The mighty watermelon is native to tropical Africa, this succulent, thirst-quenching fruit is addictive.

It’s one of my favourite fruits although sometimes I buy the wrong type and I am disappointed. The huge, oblong variety with dark green stripes or webbing, is my favourite and is called Mayaro red – a red-fleshed, crunchy-textured type with black seeds. For me, these are the sweetest and I love the crunch of the pulp. My doggie Cleo enjoys the rind.

Then there are the smaller, rounder varieties which are lighter green on the outside. These have a different texture, they tend to be juicy but softer than the Mayaro Red, and not as crunchy. Sometimes they may have a more sandy textured flesh, are slightly paler red, have less seeds and are not as sweet as the Mayaro red.

There are many grafted varieties and also many different colours, for example the yellow watermelon, not my favourite, not enough watermelon flavour, not as sweet and not crunchy as the Mayaro red. I guess I do favour the Mayaro red.

When choosing a watermelon look for uniform size and a heavy melon, the outside should be dark green with a lot of webbing, dull in colour with a yellowish field spot, (the spot on the melon that rests on the field), these are all indicators of a perfectly ripe and sweet melon.

Watermelon is full of nutrients like vitamin A and C. It’s loaded with water so it keeps you hydrated. It is also good for muscle soreness and in helping to fight inflammation.

Being a fruit, it is high in antioxidants and even the seeds are good to eat. They are also loaded with health benefits, like magnesium, zinc, iron, protein and calcium.

So go ahead crunch your way through your next slice of watermelon, seeds and all. Or try watermelon in any one of the following refreshing recipes.

Grilled watermelon

Slice watermelon into -inch thick wedges, leave rind attached.

Sprinkle with a light mixture of sugar, salt, lime zest and red pepper flakes or brown sugar, lime and cumin.

Or sprinkle with Mexican Tajin if you have a bottle at home.

Place on a well-greased clean grill for 2-3 minutes per side.

Watermelon cooler

8 cups watermelon, cut into chunks, seeds removed

½ cup fresh lime juice

2 cups sugar syrup

Blend water melon with lime juice and syrup.

Pour into ice-filled glasses. Or pour into a large jug and refrigerate until ready for use.

Serve immediately.

Serves 10 to 12

Tropical fruit salad with brown sugar and passion fruit syrup

1 small watermelon, flesh cut into chunks

18 cups assorted fresh fruit, cut into chunks –mango, papaya, carambola, pineapple, grapes, bananas

Brown sugar passion fruit syrup

1 cup brown sugar

1 vanilla bean

⅓ cup water

⅓ cup passion fruit pulp

Slit vanilla bean into two, scrape seeds from the pod and place in a saucepan with sugar and water.

Boil until bubbly then continue cooking until sugar is dissolved and thick.

Remove, cool and add passion fruit pulp.

Place fruits into a large glass serving bowl, spoon syrup onto fruit and gently toss.

Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Serves 20.

Watermelon strawberry granita

1 lb watermelon chunks

¾ cup granulated sugar

1 cup water

1 lb frozen strawberries

1 tbs fresh lime juice

Combine water and sugar in a small sauce pan, bring to a boil and cook until all the sugar is melted, about 5 minutes.

Add sugar mixture to grapefruit juice.

Chop strawberries finely and stir into juice mixture along with lime juice.

Pour into a 9-inch by 13-inch baking tin and place in the freezer.

Leave for about two hours, remove and break up the mixture into fine pieces, use a wooden or plastic spoon for this.

Return to freezer and repeat the process once more. The mixture should be almost like granular ice.

Spoon into bowls and serve. Freeze the balance in a freezer-proof bowl.

Serves 10 to 12.

Watermelon salad with feta, olives and mint

2 lbs watermelon

¼ cup olive oil

juice of one small lime

1 small hot pepper, seeded and finely sliced

½ cup feta, crumbled

15 black kalamata olives, not tinned

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 bunch fresh mint, washed, leaves removed and refrigerated

Remove the rind from the melon and cut into 2-inch pieces, refrigerate.

Blend together the olive oil, garlic and lime juice.

Before serving, remove watermelon from the fridge, pour over the dressing, add the olives, toss gently then add the feta and the mint leaves.

You can add more or less of the mint.

Serves 4 - 6

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