Salty Watermelon Granita
This simple granita uses a box grater to extract the maximum juice from the melon while leaving the pulp behind and a hit of salt to balance the sweetness of the watermelon.
Ingredients
- 8 pounds watermelon (1 small or ½ large)
- 3 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 lime, cut into wedges, for serving
Instructions
- Using a sharp knife, cut the watermelon into manageable chunks and remove the rind. Set a fine-mesh strainer over a large bowl. Using the fine holes of a box grater, grate the watermelon into the strainer. Press firmly on the solids to extract as much juice as possible from the pulp. You should have about 6 cups of juice. Discard the pulp.
- Whisk in the sugar and salt until dissolved. Transfer the juice to a 9- by 5-inch loaf pan. Place the loaf pan in the freezer and freeze until hard, 3 to 4 hours, stirring the juice with a fork once or twice as it freezes. The sides will freeze first, so scrape them to encourage the juice to freeze evenly. Freeze until ready to serve.
- To serve, use a fork to scrape the frozen watermelon juice repeatedly, transferring the piles of fluffy ice into serving bowls as you go. Garnish each bowl with a lime wedge.
