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Watermelon rind pickles
Sweet, spiced, translucent pickled melon rind
Waste-not Southern cooks in Georgia and the Carolinas turned the white part of the watermelon rind into these sweet, glassy pickles, served on relish trays at Christmas and with fried chicken in summer. The rind is brined, then simmered in a cinnamon and clove syrup until translucent and crisp-tender. Chef's tip: cut away every bit of green skin and pink flesh; the skin stays tough and the flesh goes mushy.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 20
Ingredients
- 2 ¼ lb watermelon rind, white part onlycut into 2 cm pieces
- 1 ¾ oz salt
- 8 ¼ cups water
- 1 ⅛ lb sugar
- 1 ½ cups cider vinegar
- 1 cup water
- 1 tsp whole cloves
- 1 lemonthinly sliced
- ⅔ oz fresh gingersliced
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Dissolve the 1 ¾ oz salt in the 8 ¼ cups water, add the 2 ¼ lb watermelon rind, white part only and leave overnight in the fridge.
720 minStep 2: Drain and rinse, then simmer in fresh water for 10 minutes until just tender when pierced. Drain.
15 minStep 3: Bring the 1 ⅛ lb sugar, 1 ½ cups cider vinegar, 1 cup water, 2 cinnamon sticks, 1 tsp whole cloves, 1 lemon and ⅔ oz fresh ginger to the boil, stirring until the sugar dissolves.
5 minStep 4: Add the rind and simmer gently for 40–50 minutes, until the pieces are translucent. A common mistake is a hard boil, which makes them tough and the syrup too thick.
45 minStep 5: Pack into hot sterilised jars, cover with the syrup, seal and cool. Keep chilled and wait a week before eating.
10 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 60 kcal
- Protein
- 0 g
- Carbs
- 15 g
- Fat
- 0 g
- Fibre
- 0 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does watermelon rind pickles take?
- About 90 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 60 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 20 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegan?
- Yes. It has no meat, fish, dairy or eggs.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of sugar?
- Caster sugar, same amount.
- What can I use instead of cider vinegar?
- Lemon juice, same amount.
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