This appetizer is a great summer appetizer that is wonderful in the hot weather! The trick to grilling watermelon is to make sure that you don’t leave it too long on the grill. The flesh will become slimy and overdone, rather than smoky, sweet and crunchy! We made this version with a Siberian Yellow Watermelon, but it will work with any kind really. I recommend seedless varieties mostly for convenience.
This appetizer is served topped with heirloom tomato salsa, jicama apple slaw and greens dressed with pesto.
For the Grilled Watermelon Steaks:
1 small yellow watermelon, cut into 1” steaks about 3”-4” in diameter
1 Tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper
Heat a grill pan up until hot. Lightly oil the watermelon steaks on both sides and season with salt and pepper. Grill for about 30 seconds on each side. Set aside until ready to serve.
For the Salsa:
2 large heirloom tomatoes
1 jalapeno pepper, minced
1/4 cup cilantro, finely chopped
juice of 2 limes
salt and pepper to taste
Puree the tomato in a food processor or chop finely by hand. Mix the other ingredients into the chopped tomato.
For the Jicama Apple Slaw:
1 small jicama, peeled and julienned
1 fuji apple, finely julienned
1 Tablespoon agave
juice of 1 lime
season with salt and pepper
Toss all ingredients together and set aside until ready to use.
For the Pesto Dressing:
1/2 cup pumpkin seed
1 teaspoons garlic
1/2 cup olive oil
1 cups cilantro or basil
salt to taste
1/4 Tablespoon nutritional yeast
Puree all the ingredients together in a food processor or blender. This will keep for over a week in the refrigerator and also freezes well.
To Assemble the Dish
Toss some baby greens (about 2 cups worth) with a few Tablespoons of pesto. Place the watermelon steak onto a plate and top with some heirloom tomato salsa and jicama slaw. Garnish with the pesto dressed greens.
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