Sweet & Sour Watermelon Rind Relish
Description
I am embarrassed to admit that up until about a year ago, I threw out thirty-five years’ worth of watermelon rinds. While “pickled watermelon rinds” have become widely-popularized during the past decade, you can also lacto-ferment your watermelon rinds, with equally amazing results. The end product is an incredible fermented side dish that you derive from a byproduct that is normally regarded as non-edible food waste.
In the recipe below, watermelon rinds are lacto-fermented in a salt water brine with onions. The fermented product is then mixed with some quick-pickled cucumbers, to create a watermelon rind relish. Try it out!
Prep time: 25 minutes
Fermentation duration: Approximately 10-12 days
Serves: 20
Note: White granulated sugar is added towards the final stages of the fermentation process here solely to increase the sweetness of the final product and to balance out a bit of the added acidity from the apple cider vinegar. If you prefer a non-sweetened and more acidic version, simply cut down on the added white sugar, or omit it entirely from the recipe. You can also use honey instead of sugar, although the final flavor will differ.
If you enjoy traditional relish on your hot dogs or burgers, try this fermented watermelon rind relish as a unique alternative!
Ingredients
Instructions
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When you are ready to begin your fermentation, clean and sanitize your mason jar.
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Add the diced watermelon rind and diced onion to the jar.
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Mix together the 100g of water with 12g of Kosher salt and one Tablespoon of honey, and stir until the Kosher salt and honey have completely dissolved.
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Cover the diced watermelon rind and onions with the salt water brine, and press down the contents to make sure they are submerged.
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Add a glass or ceramic fermentation weight to the jar to keep the watermelon rind and onions submerged as best as possible.
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Add a lid to the jar, and ferment at room temperature for roughly 10-12 days, continuing to open the jar daily and check on the fermentation process. Each day, try your best to submerge the rind and onions in the brine.
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After roughly 12 days, or whenever the watermelon rind becomes soft enough to enjoy, you are ready to mix with your pickled cucumber.
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For the pickled cucumber, in a separate small sauce pot, combine 25g of white granulated sugar with 25g of water and 25g of apple cider vinegar, along with ½ of a teaspoon of Kosher salt.
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Heat the liquid contents over medium heat until the salt and sugar are dissolved, and remove the liquid from the stove.
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Allow the liquid mixture to chill at room temperature for roughly 30 minutes.
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Add in the diced cucumber to this pickling liquid, and transfer to the fridge.
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When the pickled cucumber mixture has cooled completely, mix the cucumber and pickling liquid with the fermented watermelon rind and onion.
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Mix the contents well, and store in the fridge covered until you are ready to serve. You can discard any excess brine at this stage, but try to keep the remaining contents wet and submerged in the mix of liquids.
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Strain before serving, and enjoy as an accompaniment to meat, chicken, fish, or roasted vegetables.
User Reviews
Really fun recipe idea here! Great use of the rinds!