Marinating and searing the watermelon concentrates its flavor and primes it for this savory treatment.
Ingredients
Serves 6
Step 1
Place watermelon in a large resealable plastic bag. Purée rice vinegar, oil, soy sauce, lime juice, tahini, agave nectar, and plum vinegar in a blender until smooth. Pour over watermelon, seal bag, and chill at least 4 hours and up to 1 day.
Step 2
Heat a large skillet over medium. Remove watermelon from marinade; set marinade aside. Cook watermelon, tossing often, until lightly caramelized and dried out, 6–8 minutes.
Step 3
Meanwhile, bring reserved marinade to a boil in a small saucepan. Reduce heat; simmer until thickened to the consistency of heavy cream, 12–15 minutes.
Step 4
Chill watermelon and sauce separately at least 1 hour.
Step 5
To serve, toss watermelon with sauce; taste and season with salt as needed. Top with scallions and cilantro.
Do Ahead
Step 6
Watermelon and sauce can be made 12 hours ahead. Keep chilled.
Ume plum vinegar can be found at Japanese markets, natural foods stores, and some supermarkets.
Leave a Review
Reviews (3)
Back to TopThis has a very nice flavor, though I found it could use more fresh acidity - a squirt of lime juice at the end would likely have done the trick well. The watermelon looks squishy like tuna, but does retain some crunch. I'd cut this smaller than the one-inch pieces indicated; that might help it to feel more like a poké bowl. It's a fairly intensely flavored dish, so works well in small portions. Looks beautiful, especially with white sesame seeds sprinkled on top as in the picture.
birgitlh
Philadelphia, PA
6/13/2018
I made this dish and it was seriously disgusting. It made the watermelon tooth achingly sweet and then it was served in a savory sauce. Sorry but everyone at the table thought it was vile. 0 forks.
jfain
Columbus, Oh
6/11/2018
This is a great vegan alternative to the dated tuna dish. My customers loved the savory take on watermelon that didn't involve the played out feta and mint combination. People were pleasantly surprise at the texture and how it mimicked tuna. All the flavor with out the mercury
shellfrances1978
Catskill, NY
8/17/2016
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