10 New Ways to Eat a Watermelon

Nothing says summertime like a ripe watermelon. But unlike many other summer fruits, watermelon seems to get the shaft when it comes to creativity. While other fruits end up in pies and salads and jams, watermelon gets sliced and served plain year after year…until now.

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Cilantro Lime Grilled Watermelon: I had no idea you could throw fresh watermelon on the grill. I always assumed that watermelon would disintegrate into a watery mess over an open flame, but this recipe is delicious proof to the contrary.

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BBQ Watermelon Pulled Pork: Those aren't diced tomatoes, people. If you look closely, you can see watermelon chunks in this pulled pork sandwich. Watermelon adds a subtly sweet and southern vibe to barbecue sauces.

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No Churn Salted Watermelon Ice Cream: The name says it all! You can make your own salted watermelon ice cream with no churning or ice cream machine required. By the way, if you're a "sugar no salt" on watermelon kind of person like me, you should know that the salt is optional.

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Tequila Soaked Fruit Skewers: Consider these tequila-soaked fruit skewers one step up from the vodka-injected watermelon you used to bring to parties. They're classier than a vodka watermelon but no less capable of making you inebriated.

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Jalapeño Compressed Watermelon Salad: Compressed watermelon is a preparation method that allows you to get more of watermelon's flavor, and less of its water. Don't be daunted by the name, though. It's more like "squished" watermelon and it's easy to do yourself.

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Watermelon Mango Salsa: Although watermelon mango salsa may sound pretty exotic, when you think about it watermelons are a natural replacement for tomatoes in salsa because their texture and color are so similar.

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Bacon and Cornmeal Fried Watermelon: If you're really looking to wow a crowd with your watermelon originality, present them with this bacon and cornmeal fried watermelon. It the unexpected epitome of summertime food.

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Open Face Watermelon Sandwiches: Watermelon and goat cheese are the base of these savory, open-faced sandwiches that resemble salmon tea sandwiches in appearance.

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Strawberry Watermelon Soup: Fancy restaurants started a watermelon soup trend a few years back, and now the internet is full of delicious melon soup recipes that you can whip up at home, like this strawberry watermelon soup. It's kind of like a smoothie in a bowl, and that's a good thing.

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Burrata with Watermelon and Heirloom Tomatoes: I can personally vouch for the fact that watermelon and balsamic vinegar are an amazing combination. Add to that the fact that I will gladly take any excuse to get more burrata in my life and this recipe is a home run.