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Watermelon ‘Bacon’ and Summer Corn Salad

Summer Corn Salad with Watermelon "Bacon" - a vegan delight!

Summer Corn Salad with Watermelon “Bacon” – a vegan delight!

Watermelon is the quintessential fruit of summertime because it’s simple, refreshing, and stands perfectly well on its own. But…what if you want to put in a little extra time and take your watermelon to the next level? That’s what happens when you dehydrate your watermelon (does taking the water out of watermelon make it…melon?) and shrink it down to its most concentrated form.

We’ve heard people talking about making watermelon “jerky” but it wasn’t really until we read this story about watermelon bacon that the idea of dehydrating watermelon seemed like something worth trying. (If you call something bacon, you’ve got our attention!)

If you don’t have a dehydrator, drying out the watermelon will take the better part of a day in your oven. But the good news is, the oven stays at a super-low temperature and you can basically put it in and forget about it while you go about your business.

watermelon bacon

The end result is a chewy, tangy, nearly savory slice of fruit leather that tastes eerily like bacon. Who would have ever believed it started out as a fruit? Crumble it up and add it to a corn salad, and you’ve got an irresistible summer treat that even your vegan friends can enjoy.

5 from 1 vote
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Summer Corn Salad with Watermelon 'Bacon'

A fresh summer corn salad with crumbles of tangy watermelon "bacon" (dehydrated watermelon).
Course Salad
Cuisine American
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 8 hours
Total Time 8 hours 20 minutes
Servings 6 servings
Author Jeanne Fratello

Ingredients

  • For the watermelon:
  • 10 to 12 slices of watermelon sliced about 1/4 inch thick and 1-2 inches wide, rind removed
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 1/2 tsp. sea salt
  • Ground pepper
  • 1/4 tsp. paprika
  • For the corn salad:
  • 4 ears fresh corn
  • 3 green onions finely chopped
  • 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
  • Juice of 1 lime
  • 1/2 tsp. salt
  • Ground pepper
  • Dash of paprika

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 175 degrees.
  2. Slice the watermelon as described above so it looks like small pieces of bacon. Blot the slices dry with a paper towel. Drizzle the lime juice over the watermelon, and then top with salt, pepper, and paprika. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper, and then lay the seasoned watermelon slices carefully on the parchment paper. Bake for 8 hours, checking occasionally. When it is done, the watermelon slices should have the texture of fruit leather.
  3. For the corn salad: Peel the four ears of corn and boil them for 10 to 15 minutes. Cut the kernels of corn off the ear and place in a medium bowl. Toss in the green onion slices, olive oil, lime juice, salt, pepper, and paprika. Crumble 5 to 6 slices of the watermelon bacon and garnish the salad. Serve at room temperature.

corn saladBe forewarned: This watermelon “bacon” is so good you might find yourself absent-mindedly snacking on it before the salad is ready. So make sure you save at least a few slices to put in the salad – you’ll be glad you had the self-restraint!

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6 Responses to Watermelon ‘Bacon’ and Summer Corn Salad

  1. Cathy/showfoodchef July 26, 2016 at 11:02 am #

    5 stars
    I absolutely must try this. Thanks for such an inventive post and gorgeous pic!

    • Jeanne July 26, 2016 at 11:47 am #

      Wow! Thank you, Cathy! That means a lot coming from you. Thanks for stopping by!

  2. Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious July 27, 2016 at 4:07 pm #

    I gotta get my dehydrator back from the person who borrowed it and try this!

    • Jeanne July 27, 2016 at 8:42 pm #

      Yeah, I’m thinking I need a dehydrator now so I can make this on a regular basis!

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