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Watermelon Shark

You can find pictures of watermelon carvings all over the internet, this is my version of a shark’s head and my instructions, I’ve made them as easy as possible to follow. The recipe is adapted from my latest book 200 Healthy Kids Recipes and this is from the party section. Hopefully it will encourage children to be tempted to try watermelon rather than reach straight for the the sweet things. We’ll see.

You’ll need a ‘torpedo’ shaped watermelon as the round ones look a little too cute.

1 watermelon
2 red grapes or black olives
3 cocktail sticks

Wash the watermelon and pat dry. Cut a slanted piece off one round end of the watermelon so it stands on it’s own without falling over.

At the other round end carefully cut out a wedge for the mouth and scoop out most of the flesh. Keep the flesh as this can go back into the mouth when you’re finished.

Use a small paring knife and pare away a half inch strip of the outside green rind at either side of the mouth gap, leaving the white showing. Cut triangular sections in this for the teeth.

To make the eye sockets use a melon baller or teaspoon to remove two small discs of melon from each side, insert a cocktail stick in each and pop a grape or black olive on the end of the stick.

To make the fin, carve a fin shape from the slanted section you cut off the base of the watermelon, stick a cocktail stick in the top of the watermelon and secure the ‘fin’ on top of it.

Chop up the remaining flesh and put this back in the shark’s mouth. Serve.