Recipes to enjoy prime watermelon season

Each summer for me is not defined necessarily by hot days, trips to the beach or the hum of air conditioners at night, but rather, the search for the perfect watermelon. My partner is an avid watermelon picker and eater and as soon as the first melons appear in the market in May, he starts buying and trying them all out in search of the best ones. I always advise him to wait until this time of year, but my pleas fall on deaf ears.

To my surprise, he’s found some rare gems early in the season, but for the past week or so, every one he gets — which averages about a melon every other day — is a winner. Whether it’s from the farmers market or the big-box grocery store, it feels like everyone’s watermelon selection is top tier. And while he enjoys eating it plain, I’ve set aside some of the fruit each time to use for recipes that I like to eat during this time when it’s too hot to really cook anything at all — or for longer than five minutes.

One of my favorite ways to eat watermelon is in my Spicy Watermelon and Tahini Salad With Pistachios and Mint, which is a stretch to call it a salad, really. I toss the watermelon with a little sugar and salt to get the seasonings into the center of each piece, then drizzle a fragrant tahini sauce over the top that’s spiced with coriander, cumin and fresh jalapeno chile. Some fresh mint leaves and warm, nutty pistachios add plenty of heft to the lean, crunchy melon.

For a switch up to my year-round peanut butter-and-jelly toast, I’ve been making my Fig and Watermelon Toast With Ricotta, Sesame and Lime. The ricotta adds a cool, creamy base for alternating slices of watermelon and aromatic figs intensified with lime zest and sesame seeds.

For an easy lunch, or a simple light dinner, I turn to Clay Oven chef Geeta Bansal’s Watermelon Curry. Fresh-cut fruit is simmered just briefly in a sauce made with the blended flesh scraps imbued with lots of heat and spice from ginger, chili powder, turmeric, coriander and cumin. Spooned over a scoop of fresh-cooked rice and topped with a little chopped cilantro, it’s a comforting bowl for a hot summer day.

But for the optimal way to enjoy watermelon, I love to sprinkle it with a flavored sugar and salt like Tajin. A couple years ago, I experimented with making my own, and my favorite flavor was this Bay Leaf Brown Sugar with Lemon and Ginger. Bay leaves are lightly toasted then ground up with salt and mixed with brown sugar, lemon zest and ground ginger. Once it’s dried, I transfer it to a jar and reach for it whenever I want to add a little variety to the endless watermelon wedges that will continue to manifest in my kitchen for the rest of the summer.

Fig and Watermelon Toast With Ricotta, Sesame and Lime

Rich, plushy figs are balanced with crunchy, lean watermelon in this odd but delicious pairing. Greek yogurt, labneh or even cream cheese can work in a pinch if you don’t have ricotta.
Get the recipe.
Cook time: 10 minutes.

(Silvia Razgova/For The Times)

Spicy Watermelon and Tahini Salad With Pistachios and Mint

This salad adds a spicy richness to lean, sweet watermelon. Sprinkling the melon with salt and sugar for 20 minutes draws out excess liquid to concentrate the melon’s flavor; it also seasons the melon cubes beyond their surface.
Get the recipe.
Cook time: 30 minutes.

(Silvia Razgova/Silvia Razgova)

Watermelon Curry

This preparation uses watermelon flesh, as opposed to the rind, for a fresher spin on watermelon curry. Both fresh and dried chile add their heat to blended watermelon to form the foundation for this sweet, spicy dish.
Get the recipe.
Cook time: 1 hour.

(Los Angeles Times)

Bay Leaf Brown Sugar With Lemon and Ginger

Spicy and cooling, ground-up bay leaves mimic those same qualities in ground ginger in this mix. Lemon adds sharpness while the molasses in the brown sugar helps ground all the bracing spices into a mellow mix. Try it on the best watermelon you can find.
Get the recipe.
Cook time: 10 minutes, plus 2 hours drying.

(Ben Mims/Los Angeles Times)