Lifestyle

Watermelon Sushi is Real and It’s Awesome

By Hailey Tom at University of Iowa

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

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

Ingredients

1 watermelon on the small side
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons reduced sodium soy sauce
A sprinkle sesame seeds

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.

Hailey Tom

Step 2

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

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.

Hailey Tom

Step 4

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

Hailey Tom

Step 5

Sprinkle on some sesame seeds and eat!

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.