Pickled Watermelon

adapted from Just One Cookbook

Ingredients

• 0.25 watermelon (roughly 6-lb watermelon)
• 4 Tbsp rice vinegar (unseasoned)
• 50 g sugar
• 2 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 1 Tbsp toasted white sesame seeds (optional)
• ginger (a few strips; optional)

1. Gather all the ingredients. Please note that this recipe requires a pickling time of 2-3 hours or up to overnight.
2. In a resealable plastic bag, combine 4 Tbsp rice vinegar (unseasoned), 4 Tbsp sugar, 2 Tbsp soy sauce, 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil, 1 Tbsp toasted white sesame seeds, and a few strips of ginger (optional). Mix well to dissolve the sugar. Set aside.
3. Cut ¼-½ watermelon into 1-inch (2.5 cm) slices. Then cut each watermelon slice into 1-inch (2.5 cm) sticks.
4. Cut the watermelon sticks crosswise so the flesh is now in 1-inch (2.5 cm) cubes. (Reserve the watermelon cubes for another use.) Leave a little bit of red flesh attached to the white rind to add natural sweetness to your pickles.
5. Cut the end slice of the rind into sticks that are 1-inch (2.5-cm) thick, too. We now have 8 cups (1034 g or 2.3 lb) of watermelon rind with skin.
6. Cut off and discard the tough, dark green skin from the white part of the rind.
7. Now, slice the white watermelon rind into a uniform size and shape for optimal pickling. For this batch, I used thin slices about ¼ inch (6 mm) thick, but you can cut yours into cubes or other shapes. We now have about 6 cups (803 g or 1.8 lb) of watermelon rind without skin.
8. Add the rind slices to the resealable plastic bag with the pickling solution.
9. Seal the bag, pressing out as much of the air as possible so that the rind slices are immersed in the pickling solution. Rub through the sealed bag to distribute the pickling solution into the rind slices. Then, let it pickle in the refrigerator for at least 2-3 hours or up to overnight.
10. Remove from the pickling solution and transfer to a serving bowl. Serve Pickled Watermelon Rind as a side dish to complement rice, barbecue, or a meat main dish. It also makes a great snack with beer or cocktails.
11. Take out the rind and store it in another container (and discard the solution) and enjoy within 3–4 days. Tip: The flavor will get stronger if you keep the pickling solution in the bag.

Logging my experiments with this recipe.

2024/7/6 - Made to take advantage of all the rind after I made watermelon juice as is. Used the recipe as is, without the optional ingredients. Doubled the recipe to match the amount of leftover rind I had from making the juice.