Pan-Seared Watermelon Steak

This Pan-Seared Watermelon Steak is made by transforming juicy watermelon into a deliciously chewy vegetarian steak with a quick sear in the pan! And topped with feta cheese and balsamic reduction, this looks as good as it tastes.

If your read my post from a few days ago, you know that I had a brilliant idea of cooking up a savory watermelon steak. But then a Boston restaurant, 51 Lincoln, invented a time machine, came to the future, invented a mind reading machine, and stole my idea. So I tried out their Oven-Roast Watermelon Steak recipe and even though I added twice as much sherry as was required, it was pretty good.

But now it’s time to do things Sarah’s way. And Sarah’s way involves:

• Trials/errors/minor grease burns
• Edible flowers
• Balsamic reduction
• Honey
• Mint
• Feta cheese

How do you make watermelon steak?

Making watermelon steak is really easy. You’ll basically just:

• Cut watermelon into planks
• Pat dry
• Saute
• Serve warm with feta, mint, and balsamic

So you start by cutting out some watermelon steaks. Cut the watermelon in half lengthwise, then place the flat edge down and cut 1 ½ to 2 inch slices down. It’s better to make them too thick than too thin. You can always shave off excess watermelon. From each slice, cut out a rectangle. (You can use the leftover bits in the Watermelon Granita we’ll be making soon!)

Those grease burns I mentioned. Yea I thought it’d be smart to throw the sopping wet piece of watermelon into a hot pan of grease. Don’t do that. Instead, pat dry the watermelons with paper towels and place them, uncovered, in the fridge for 1 to 2 hours. This will help to get out some of that excess moisture. Give em a final pat down right before cooking them.

Those grease burns I mentioned. Yea I thought it’d be smart to throw the sopping wet piece of watermelon into a hot pan of grease. Don’t do that. Instead, pat dry the watermelons with paper towels and place them, uncovered, in the fridge for 1 to 2 hours. This will help to get out some of that excess moisture. Give em a final pat down right before cooking them.

Then it’s onto the cooking. Place of dash of oil in a sauté pan and bring to a low-medium heat. To prevent any splash-ups, gently slide each steak into the pan. Cook each steak for about 5 minutes on each side, then increase the heat to medium-high and continue cooking, about 1 minute per side, until edges are slightly browned.

Something about cooking these makes the taste much more mild and less sweet than raw watermelons, making them pretty flexible to some flavor add-ins. So today we’ll be throwing in some balsamic reduction. You can buy this at a grocery (you may see it called balsamic glaze), or make it pretty easily. You can find how to make it in the notes below the recipe. We’ll also top the steaks with a bit of honey, some fresh mint, and crumbled feta cheese.

And finally the edible flowers. LOOK AT THEM. I mean, they’re optional, but this dish is fancy as haaayyl, so why wouldn’t you throw in some edible flowers? If you’re lucky enough to actually have a selection of edible flowers to choose from, go with a chive or nodding onion flower. These are more, well, oniony and would go pretty well with this. But if you’ll get what you can find, then just throw em all in there because just LOOK AT THEM.

What does watermelon steak taste like?

Cooking watermelon transforms its distinct granular texture into a slightly chewier texture, almost like raw tuna. The taste becomes less sweet and more savory/smokey! 

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Pan-Seared Watermelon Steak

This Pan-Seared Watermelon Steak is made by transforming juicy watermelon into a deliciously chewy steak with a quick sear in the pan! 

Course Main Dishes, Side Dishes

Cuisine American

Keyword watermelon steak

Diet Gluten-Free, Vegetarian

Occasion 4th of July, Easter

Time 60 minutes or more

Prep Time 1 hour

Cook Time 20 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Servings 6 steaks

Calories 88 kcal

Author Live Eat Learn

Ingredients

• 1/2 large seedless watermelon
• 1 Tbsp oil 15 mL
• 3 Tbsp balsamic reduction* 45 mL
• 2 Tbsp honey 30 mL
• 2 Tbsp chopped fresh mint
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese 50 g
• Optional garnish: edible flowers

Instructions

1. Cut: Cut watermelon in half lengthwise. Place flat side down, and cut 1.5 inch wide slice. Cut the largest rectangle possible from each of these slices. You should be able to get about 6 good steaks from 1/2 of a watermelon.

2. Dry: Pat each of the steaks dry with paper towels, then place in refrigerator, uncovered, for 1 to 2 hours to dry out excess moisture. Give them a final pat right before cooking.

3. Saute: Heat oil in a large saute pan over low/medium. Gently slide each steak in, cooking for about 5 minutes on each side. Increase heat to medium-high and continue to cook each side for one minute, or until lightly browned.

4. Serve: Drizzle honey and balsamic reduction over steaks. Top each with mint, crumbled feta, and edible flowers.

Notes

*How to make a balsamic reduction: Bring 1/2 cup of balsamic vinegar to a simmer in a small saucepan. Whisking occasionally, allow balsamic to cook and reduce down until it is syrupy and coats the pan and spoon (it will reduce in volume by about half). 

Nutrition Facts

Pan-Seared Watermelon Steak

Amount Per Serving (1 steak)

Calories 88 Calories from Fat 44

% Daily Value*

Total Fat 4.9g 8%

Sodium 143mg 6%

Total Carbohydrates 8.2g 3%

Protein 2.4g 5%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.