Baked watermelon (yep, it’s a thing) takes on the texture of raw fish, making it perfect for a fun, sweet take on sashimi.

It took me a looooong time to eat fish. In fact, a shrimp episode when I was about 6 resulted in a full-on asthma attack because I got so worked up over having to eat the stuff. Fast-forward a few years, though, and I slowly began to “do” fish in high school. Ten (OK, it’s really more like 15) years later, and now I’m a sushi addict. To my mind, there’s nothing better than a fresh, spicy tuna roll with tons of wasabi, but if you’re one of those people not too into the whole raw fish thing, get this: Watermelon — yes, watermelon — can be your stand-in.

When you bake watermelon for a few hours, the water slowly leaves the fruit, and the result is an uncanny resemblance to raw fish in terms of texture. Lay it over some cooked rice, and until the first bite, when you taste the sweetness, you’d never know it wasn’t fish.

Watermelon sashimi recipe

Serves 2-4

Ingredients:

1/4 seedless watermelon, cut into 2 x 1-inch pieces

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 cup cooked white rice

Green onions, chopped (for garnish)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lay the watermelon pieces into a baking dish, and drizzle with the olive oil and soy sauce. Turn to coat the pieces in the dressing. Bake for about 2 hours, until the watermelon has cooked down and browned along the edges. The texture will resemble that of raw fish at this point. Remove the watermelon from the oven, and let it cool. In the palm of your hand, form the cooked rice into the shape of a sashimi roll. Top each rice roll with a piece of the watermelon. Garnish with chopped green onions, and serve with soy sauce.

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