Watermelon Salsa
Watermelon Salsa—Is this a craze or what? I’m a huge fan of watermelon…PLAIN OLD WATERMELON! Nothing fancy for me. I’m definitely not one who has to put a little salt on it for added sweetness. I never thought the extra salt did anything special for the taste of the watermelon, but I know many who disagree and love their salt. I won’t hold it against them.
But now there’s watermelon everything…salsa, salads (lots of those), smoothies, margaritas and mojitos. I even found a recipe for watermelon pie made with watermelon Jell-O (I never knew there was such a thing as watermelon Jell-O, but here’s the link for a popular recipe that I found on Allrecipes.com that I might have to try–Watermelon Pie)
Making Watermelon Salsa
Anyway, this watermelon lover over here decided to give some of these ideas for using watermelon in new ways a try, starting with this Watermelon Salsa.
I absolutely love fresh salsa–the kind with tomatoes, and this watermelon salsa was an interesting twist on fresh tomato salsa since the other ingredients for the recipe seems like a typical tomato-based salsa recipe. I did have a tough time getting past the idea that the main ingredient wasn’t tomato, but in the end, I think it turned out really well. It tasted so similar yet so different. It was refreshing and kind of fun. I think this recipe is a keeper, especially with a Fire and Ice Watermelon Margarita or a Watermelon Mojito served on the side.
Just a Few Notes
After you dice up your watermelon, remember toplace it in a colander and let it drain into a bowl while you prep the remaining salsa ingredients. It will make your salsa a little less watery when you get some of the water out of the melon.
Taste before adding more salt. Remember your chips are salty, unless you use cinnamon chips, which puts a whole new twist to the salsa.
Watermelon Salsa
Ingredients
- 3 cups chopped watermelon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup finely diced green bell pepper
- 2 Tablespoons lime juice
- 1 teaspoon lime zest optional
- 2 Tablespoons finely died fresh cilantro
- 1 Tablespoon finely diced red onion or green onion sometimes I use both
- 1/2-1 jalapeno pepper finely diced
- 1 clove garlic minced (or ¼ teaspoon garlic powder)
Instructions
- PLACE chopped watermelon in a large colander, SPRINKLE with salt and LET drain for 1-2 hours.
- In a large bowl, COMBINE the drained watermelon, green bell pepper, lime juice and zest (if using), cilantro, onions, jalapeno, and garlic. MIX well. REFRIGERATE for an hour for flavors to melt. SERVE. "Hint of Lime" tortilla chips tastes really good with this.
- NOTES: Prepare the salsa about a couple of hours before serving. It gets too watery otherwise but you still need time in the fridge for flavors to come together.
- Adding the salt to the watermelon before draining will bring out more liquid.
- You can drain again before serving if it still seems too watery, but you will lose some of the flavor.
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