3 watermelon appetizers

While there is always a bowl of the shimmering, flush-colored cubes in our fridge, we decided to explore culinary options for watermelon beyond a simple snack. Chef Josh Hebert, master chef of improvisational cuisine and owner of Posh Restaurant in Scottsdale, AZ, dazzled and amazed us with a few of his creations, and even got us to infuse some creativity of our own into watermelon appetizers and dessert. Check out these 3 watermelon appetizer and dessert recipes!

3 watermelon appetizers and dessert recipes

dessert comes first

Josh led with a watermelon and sweet corn sorbet with a tarragon and balsamic drizzle, and it tastes as good as it looks. Since we’re nearly always in a pinch for time, we recommend picking up your favorite grocery variety sorbet like Ciao Bella’s Coconut Sorbet. Cut your watermelon into bite-size triangles to accompany your sorbet and drizzle with dark agave nectar or honey.

Latin fusion

Shrimp came next, slow-cooked with lime juice atop a fresh piece of watermelon, accompanied by mint, shishito pepper, fennel pollen and pink salt. We loved the Latin influence, and followed Josh’s lead to create a quick and easy watermelon ceviche. Dice your watermelon and finely chop jalapeno, onion, cilantro, and shrimp. Mix in a large bowl with a splash of orange juice, and sprinkle with fresh ground pepper and sea salt to taste.

sweet caprese

Last up was smoked farmers cheese on top of watermelon with avocado slices, tandoori spiced yogurt and dried bacon powder. Josh’s deliciously simple concept inspired us to whip together this simple watermelon caprese salad: take a block of feta cheese and put in the freezer to harden (this way, it won’t crumble when you slice it). Cube your watermelon and select the biggest, freshest leaves from a bunch of basil. Slice the feta into cubes as well, then place all of your ingredients on a small wooden skewer.  Drizzle with olive oil and balsamic vinaigrette and lightly dust with sea salt. See our version here.