Watermelon and Lime Granita
Frozen in a pan and raked into shards, this is dessert for a day too hot to turn on the stove.
- Serves
- 6
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 4 hrs (freezing)
- Written
Method
-
Puree the watermelon in a blender until completely smooth, about 30 seconds.
-
Whisk in the sugar, lime juice, and salt until the sugar has fully dissolved.
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Pour into a metal baking pan so the liquid sits no more than an inch deep.
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Freeze uncovered for 45 minutes, until a rim of ice crystals has formed around the edges.
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Rake the crystals into the liquid center with a fork, breaking up any solid patches, then return to the freezer.
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Repeat the raking every 30 to 45 minutes for about 3 more hours, until the whole pan is a loose mass of glittering ice with no liquid pooling at the bottom.
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Scoop into chilled glasses or bowls and scatter with mint just before serving.
Notes
A metal pan is doing more work here than it looks like — it pulls heat out fast enough that the sugars stay suspended in fine crystals instead of sinking into a syrupy layer at the bottom. Glass or plastic freezes slower and gives you a coarser, wetter granita. The other non-negotiable is the raking schedule: skip it and walk away, and the pan sets into one solid sheet of fruit ice that needs a chisel instead of a spoon.
Any ripe melon or soft stone fruit takes the same ratio of sugar and acid to puree, so this is worth remembering past watermelon season. A splash of tequila or mezcal poured over the shaved ice turns it into a drink rather than a dessert.