Grilled Melon With Tahini, Chili Oil and Sesame Seeds
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“Salt and melon are a classic combination,” Abra Berens writes in her new cookbook, Pulp. “Prosciutto-wrapped melon for example. Cream and melon is just as classic.” Her recipe for grilled melon with tahini, chili oil and sesame seeds draws on both of those combinations for something fresh and new.
“I would pair this dish with some grilled fish, a tomato-mozzarella salad and something green,” she continues, “maybe arugula with lemon and some garlic bread crumbs. Or I’d just eat it on its own and be pretty happy too.”
Reprinted from Pulp: A Practical Guide to Cooking with Fruit by Abra Berens, with permission by Chronicle Books, 2023. Photographs © EE Berger.
Ingredients
½ cup tahini
One 2-pound muskmelon (such as cantaloupe or honeydew), rind removed and cut into 2-inch-wide wedges
Extra-virgin olive oil
¼ cup chili oil
Kosher salt
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
Directions
1. In a small bowl, whisk the tahini with a couple tablespoons of hot water until smooth, light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
2. Drizzle the melon with olive oil.
3. On a hot grill, sear the flat side of the melon until charred, about 2 minutes. Flip and sear the other side. Remove the melon to a serving platter.
4. To serve, spoon the whipped tahini all over the melon, drizzle with the chili oil, sprinkle with salt and scatter the sesame seeds all over.
290 calories
26g fat
14g carbs
5g protein
7g sugars