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Instant Watermelon Rind Pickle

Pickled watermelon rind is a classic summer condiment when the melons are in abundance. Here we’ve added our twist by using Japanese yuzu juice and rice wine vinegar to give the pickles a kick.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    makes about 1 quart

Ingredients

1

/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons/125 grams rice wine vinegar

1

/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon/125 grams yuzu juice (see Sources, page 309)

1

/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon/100 grams honey

1

tablespoon/4.5 grams juniper berries

1

1/4 teaspoons/8 grams fine sea salt

18

ounces/500 grams diced watermelon rind, green skin removed

Need to make a substitution?

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Mix the vinegar, yuzu juice, honey, juniper berries, and salt until the honey is dissolved. If you have a vacuum sealer, pour the pickling solution into a vacuum bag, add the watermelon rind, and seal on high pressure. (This can also be done in Mason jars in a chamber vacuum machine.) The watermelon rind will go from opaque to translucent and is ready to eat instantly, though it will mature over a few days.

    Step 2

    Alternatively, you can combine the vinegar, yuzu juice, honey, juniper berries, and salt in a lidded jar, refrigerate, and age the rind for 3 days before using. The pickles will not be as bright and translucent as the vacuum-sealed pickles, but they will still taste delicious. The flavor will continue to improve over time.

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