Watermelon Steak

Submitted by 101794

"This is the novelty dish of some Boston restaurant--when I was living with a friend in Boston the recipe was released in the papers. It looks like a slab of fish but is, in fact, watermelon. Very peculiar texture. When your friends ask you what it is, you can start singing, "Down by the bay...""

 

• Ready In: 2hrs 30mins
• Ingredients: 7
• Serves: 4

ingredients

• vegetable oil
• 1 watermelon
• 1 1⁄2 cups cream sherry (more or less)
• 4 tablespoons butter
• salt
• pepper
• 3⁄4 cup feta cheese

directions

1. Set the oven at 350 degrees. Have a large roasting pan on hand. Oil a piece of parchment paper about the size of the pan.
2. Discard the rounded end of the watermelon. Cut the watermelon into 4 even slices, each at least 1-inch thick. Remove the rind.
3. Place the slices in the roasting pan. Pour the sherry over them and dot the face of the watermelon with pieces of butter. Sprinkle with salt, and very lightly with pepper.
4. Cover the watermelon with the parchment paper, then cover the pan tightly with foil. Roast the slices for 2 1/2 hours or until charred around the edges.
5. Place watermelon on a rimmed baking sheet to cool. Strain cooking juices. Serve watermelon with juices spooned over, and feta cheese.

Reviews

[spiritussancto]

i was skeptical of this, having been burned by a horrible recipe that claimed to create crab pate from pureed watermelon and eggs (that tasted exactly like you think it would). i figured leaving the watermelon intact and roasting it in large amounts of booze sounded better but i was worried it would be too sweet. i've never had ahi tuna, which everyone says this tastes like so i figured as long as it tasted good, who cares? the texture is what i imagine raw fish would be like. it's a bit on the sweet side but very nice with feta on top. the juices are very sweet so may be more savory and meat-like after i let it drain more. once it's roasted i think it might be good seared on a bbq. i never would have guessed it's watermelon. my cooking juices burned pretty badly so i'm not doing anything with them but scrubbing them out of the pan. it's a bit odd but i may make it again. certainly a fun bit of kitchen alchemy. thanks!