I love sushi, like, a lot, but it's not like I can eat raw fish every day. So when I learned you could make watermelon sushi, my jaw dropped. Was it even possible? Watermelon, the epitome of summer, and sushi, the love of my life, together? It seemed a match made in heaven! 

How it's Legit

Puzzled, I tried to figure out how it could be true. I sat back and thought, watermelon is basically, well, water, so when baked the water would evaporate and give it a fish-like texture. It would then take on whatever flavors you gave it, kinda like tofu.

Seems reasonable enough, but does it work?

Oh, You Bet it Does

Boat Party in Rio, by Leonardo Lacerda | Unsplash

llacerdajr on unsplash

I used this recipe from SadTire on Youtube as inspiration, but also because her videos are hilarious. With only a few ingredients, I had something that, to my sheer wonder, resembled sushi. Here's the recipe I used — check it out!

Watermelon Sushi

  • Prep Time:10 mins
  • Cook Time:1 hr 30 mins
  • Total Time:1 hr 40 mins
  • Servings:4
  • Easy

    Ingredients

  • 1 watermelon on the small side
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
  • A sprinkle sesame seeds
pumpkin, beer, watermelon, gourd, melon
Hailey Tom
  • Step 1

    Grab your watermelon and cut that bad boy up. Go for cutting it into quarters so you get nice triangle slices.

    watermelon, melon, sweet, cantaloupe, juice
    Hailey Tom
  • Step 2

    See? Almost can't tell it's watermelon!

    fish, seafood, meat, sashimi, salmon
    Hailey Tom
  • Step 3

    Line a baking sheet with foil, place the watermelon "sashimi" in neat rows (okay, kinda neat), and drizzle with the olive oil and soy sauce.

    salmon, smoked salmon
    Hailey Tom
  • Step 4

    Bake for one and a half to two hours, or until the edges are darkened.

    seafood, fish, sauce
    Hailey Tom
  • Step 5

    Sprinkle on some sesame seeds and eat!

    fish, seafood, sushi, sweet, salmon
    Hailey Tom

Now listen – I'm not going to sit here and say this tastes exactly like glazed salmon, but it's pretty damn miraculous. It has that chewy texture and the vibrant flavor, but with just a touch of subtle fruitiness. You can't go wrong with this wholesome fruit and low-sodium soy.