Some people need to sneak veggies into food, so their kids will eat them. I have to add fruit into savory recipes, so I’ll eat it. I often find the sweetness to be too much, so I like balancing it with other flavors. Maybe you can relate?

Whether you positively love fruit or have to find creative ways to get it into your meal rotation, this watermelon salsa recipe is quick, easy, tasty and refreshing!

A few things…

• ・A seedless watermelon works best. If you use a watermelon with seeds and a few get in the blender, it’s ok. They are edible.

• ・The amount of jalapeño seeds that you add to the blender will determine how hot the salsa will be. More seeds, more hot. Less seeds, less hot.
• ・If you’re not sure about many jalapeño seeds work for your tastes, add a very conservative amount, blend, taste, and adjust from there. Let your taste guide you!
• ・If you like a mild salsa or are sensitive to heat, grill the jalapeños and then, remove all the seeds before adding them to the blender.

This recipe makes ~4 ½ cups of blender watermelon salsa. It’s perfect for summer, because all you need is a grill and a blender. Then, enjoy it with tortilla chips, on tacos, and more! It lasts for ~2-3 days in the refrigerator.

Watermelon Salsa

2 jalapeños (want to adjust the heat? sensitive to heat? see note above)

3 large garlic cloves, peeled

Olive oil, to drizzle

2 cups seedless watermelon, cubed

2 medium tomatoes, sliced into big chunks

1 cup fresh cilantro, packed

¼ cup lime juice

¼-½ tsp onion powder

1-1½ tsp salt

1. Heat up the grill. Then, line a small, grill-proof pan with non-stick aluminum foil. Add the jalapeños and garlic. Drizzle with a little olive oil.

2. Grill at 400º F for ~3 minutes, and then, flip and grill for another 3 minutes. If it isn’t quite charred enough, flip again, and grill until it looks right to you. Remove from the grill, and allow to cool.

3. In a blender, add the watermelon, grilled jalapeño (see notes above to determine how much of the inner jalapeño seeds to add to the blender for your taste), garlic and ½ of the tomatoes. Blend until mostly smooth.

4. Then, add the rest of the tomatoes, cilantro, lime juice, onion powder and salt. Pulse until there are still some recognizable bits, but everything is chopped up fairly small. Taste, and adjust seasonings (more salt? more lime?). Serve.