Barbecued watermelon with chimichurri and Le Gruyère AOP

An aperitif that will amaze and surprise you! It offers a perfect blend of freshness and deliciousness, creating an explosion of flavours that will take you on a journey of your taste buds. The barbecue sauce, said to have Caribbean origins before becoming world famous through its better-known American version, creates the base. Using high-quality spices makes all the difference to the final result. Then, the Argentinian chimichurri with its herbaceous notes is added to create a contrast. We recommend making the chimichurri at the last minute so that the freshly chopped herbs really stand out. And where does Le Gruyère AOP come into all of this? It serves to bring the best out of all of those fruity, herbaceous and spicy flavours.

Ben & Léo

Ingredients for

4

Note

Attention change of number of people

For the barbecue sauce

  • 1
    onion
  • 1
    clove of garlic
  • 3 tbsp
    paprika in powder
  • 1 tbsp
    garlic powder
  • 1 tbsp
    onion powder
  • 1 tsp
    Espelette chili powder
  • 50 ml
    cider vinegar
  • 50 ml
    water
  • 20 g
    ketchup
  • 100 g
    brown sugar
  • 50 g
    Worcestershire sauce
  • 80 g
    maple syrup
  • 1 pinch
    of salt
  • 1 pinch
    of pepper

For the chimichurri

  • 1
    shallot
  • 20 g
    fresh ginger
  • 1
    clove of garlic
  • 0.5 tsp
    Espelette chili powder
  • 1 tsp
    paprika in powder
  • 150 g
    orange
  • 1
    lemon
  • 1
    lime
  • 1
    bunch of oregano
  • 50 g
    of flat leaf parsley, finely chopped
  • 30 g
    coriander
  • 50 g
    roasted almonds
  • 1 pinch
    of pepper
  • 1 pinch
    of salt

Bringing it all together

  • 1
    watermelon
  • 50 g
    Gruyère AOP

Preparation

For the barbecue sauce

  1. Chop the onion and garlic clove for the barbecue sauce. Brown everything in a little oil. Add the Espelette pepper, smoked paprika, garlic powder and onion powder.
  2. After 3 minutes, deglaze with vinegar and water.
  3. Add the ketchup, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, maple syrup and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
  4. Simmer for at least 35 to 40 minutes.

For the chimichurri

  1. Finely chop the shallot, the ginger and the garlic. Zest half of the orange and lime. Mix with their juices, 2 tablespoons of vinegar and 4 tablespoons of olive oil. Add salt and pepper, then add the Espelette pepper, paprika and almonds.

Bringing it all together

  1. Cut Le Gruyère AOP into small cubes of approximately 0.5 cm x 0.5 cm.
  2. Grill the watermelon in 3 cm to 4 cm thick slices on the barbecue.
  3. Spread the barbecue sauce on the grilled watermelon, add the Le Gruyère AOP cubes, then top with chimichurri sauce.

Delicious to know

In autumn, try the same recipe but replace the watermelon with squash, salted and brushed with olive oil and cooked in 3 cm to 4 cm slices in the oven for 30 minutes at 180 °C. The end result: a tasty and original warm starter.
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