• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Olives for Dinner

Vegan Recipes for Those Who Love to Cook and Eat

  • Recipes
  • Work with Us
  • About
  • Subscribe
Home » Entrees » Pan-Seared Watermelon

June 1, 2016

Pan-Seared Watermelon

Jump to Recipe

Savory + Seared Watermelon this Recipe

Savory watermelon is magic. Bake, then marinate it to create a vegan tuna poke bowl. But if turning on your oven doesn’t sound like a good idea, especially during the warmer months, simply throw it into a hot pan (be careful, water-filled watermelon sputters) to create this savory+seared version.

Savory + Seared Watermelon

For this tataki-style appetizer, small slabs of watermelon are seared in a hot pan, which allows the sugars to caramelize on the outside, giving it a beautiful, dark-marbled look all over. You can serve this plain, or drizzled with a little ponzu and ground ginger or sprinkled with a few sesame seeds if you like. Throw some microgreens over the top to finish if you’re feeling fancy.

Savory + Seared Watermelon

Print
clock clock iconcutlery cutlery iconflag flag iconfolder folder iconinstagram instagram iconpinterest pinterest iconfacebook facebook iconprint print iconsquares squares iconheart heart iconheart solid heart solid icon
Savory + Seared Watermelon

SAVORY+SEARED WATERMELON


  • Author: olivesfordinner.com
  • Total Time: 20 minutes
  • Yield: 4 servings
  • Diet: Vegan
Print Recipe
Pin Recipe

Ingredients

FOR THE WATERMELON

  • 4 ,4-inch long X 1-inch thick slabs of watermelon
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil

TO SERVE

  • 4 teaspoons ponzu (check ingredients for fish)
  • 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger, to garnish
  • a few pinches of smoked salt
  • microgreens or chopped scallions, to garnish
  • soy sauce

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oil in a large, cast iron pan over medium-high for 2-3 minutes, a little less if it starts to smoke. Place the slabs of the watermelon onto the skillet, taking care to watch for any sputtering of the water from the watermelon. Turn the heat down just a bit if there is a lot of sputtering. Allow to sear on one side for about 3 minutes, or until it has a nice color, pressing on it slightly with a spatula. Flip and sear the other sides for 2-3 minutes more, or until they have a nice sear all over.
  2. Transfer to a cutting board, and allow to slightly cool. Cut into 1/4-inch thick slices, and transfer to plates. Combine the ponzu and grated ginger, then drizzle evenly over each slab, then sprinkle with a few pinches of smoked salt. Garnish with a few microgreens or scallions if you like and serve with soy sauce.
  • Cook Time: 20 minutes
  • Category: Vegan Seafood

If you made this recipe ...

Please leave a comment and a 5-star rating if you loved the recipe.

It helps more people find my site and helps me to continue creating new content!

Savory + Seared Watermelon

You may also like:

Vegetable Stock
Panisse with Garlic-Ginger Sauce
Creamy Pasta with Vegan Scallops
Sweet Potato Tempura and Avocado Rolls

Filed Under: Entrees, Vegan Seafood Tagged With: fruit

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Chantal Forrest says

    July 12, 2016 at 2:04 pm

    How do you make it in the oven?

    Reply
    • erinwyso says

      July 12, 2016 at 2:29 pm

      Chantal, you can follow this recipe if you’d like to bake the watermelon instead, enjoy!

      https://olivesfordinner.com/2016/04/watermelon-tuna-poke-bowl.html

      Reply
  2. Rachael Patton says

    September 1, 2016 at 5:32 pm

    Dear Erin,
    I can’t remember what I was looking for when I happened to find your recipe, but your seared watermelon completely derailed me. I tried it out and am blown away. This is a really marvelous recipe and I’m working on a blog post with a featured link to your page.
    In Arcata, CA, I run a farm-to-desk bicycled lunch delivery service and featured seared watermelon in today’s nori roll. Here’s the menu link https://foodisloveloveisfood.wordpress.com
    I’ll be sure to let you know when the blog post is publish. I love your work.
    Sincerely,
    Rachael

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆ ★☆

Primary Sidebar

Hi! I’m Erin Wysocarski. Glad you’re here.

I create vegan recipes for those who love to cook and eat. My husband Jeff photographs them. We live in Boston with our rescue dog, Harper. More about Erin »

  • Bloglovin
  • Email
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest

Search

Search by Category

Check these out!

Homemade Bagels with Tofutti, Capers and Caramelized Shallots

Homemade Vegan Bagels

Easy Miso Soup

Easy Miso Soup

Spicy Jackfruit Salad

Spicy Jackfruit Salad

Sriracha-Cashew Kale Chips

Sriracha-Cashew Kale Chips

Tea-Smoked Lychees from Herbivoracious by Michael Natkin

Tea-Smoked Lychees from Herbivoracious

Mushroom Walnut Paté

Mushroom Walnut Paté

Footer

About Erin Wysocarski

I create vegan recipes for those who love to cook and eat. My husband Jeff photographs them. We're glad you're here! More about Erin »

Interviews

Sandra Vungi
Hannah Kaminsky - BitterSweet
Cara Ansis of Fork and Beans

stay connected

  • Bloglovin
  • Email
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
HOME ∙ ABOUT ∙ CONTACT ∙ PRIVACY

Copyright© 2023 · Brunch Pro Theme by Shay Bocks