Salted Watermelon Snack

Salt on watermelon is an old Southern habit that the Tajin trend turned into a viral snack, and there is a reason it stuck: a little salt makes ripe watermelon taste sweeter and juicier. This version swaps plain table salt for a sprinkle of Saltivate Raw Unflavored mixed with lime zest and chili powder, so the electrolyte watermelon you see online actually delivers sodium, potassium, and magnesium instead of table salt alone. It takes about ten minutes of hands-on time, no cooking, and it is best eaten cold, when the fine powder dissolves into the juice on each piece and leaves a faint salty-lime tang. Make it after a sweaty afternoon outside or as a poolside snack; the whole platter carries one full serving of electrolytes.

Ingredients

Makes 4 snack servings.

• 1/2 small seedless watermelon, about 8 cups of 1-inch cubes or thin wedges
• 1 stick pack Saltivate Raw Unflavored (1 serving)
• 1 tsp lime zest, from about 1 lime
• 1/2 tsp chili powder or mild chili-lime seasoning, optional
• 1 lime, cut into wedges for squeezing

Instructions

1. Chill the watermelon in the fridge for at least 2 hours. Cold fruit tastes sweeter and holds the sprinkle better.
2. Cut into 1-inch cubes or thin wedges and arrange in a single layer on a platter.
3. In a small bowl, stir together the Raw Unflavored stick pack, lime zest, and chili powder.
4. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the watermelon right before serving. The powder dissolves on contact with the juice.
5. Squeeze a lime wedge or two over the top and eat while it is cold.

Tips

• Split between 4 people, each person gets about a quarter serving of electrolytes: roughly 200mg sodium, 60mg potassium, and 15mg magnesium.
• Salted watermelon releases juice quickly, so only sprinkle what you plan to eat. Keep unsalted cubes covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.
• The dry sprinkle keeps well. Mix a few stick packs' worth with chili powder in a small jar and shake it over fruit all summer; leave the zest out of the jar and add it fresh at serving time.

Raw Unflavored is plain, has zero calories, and dissolves clear into the juice, adding a clean salty edge that makes the melon taste sweeter, which is exactly what you want in a fruit sprinkle. Keep a box of Raw Unflavored stick packs in the kitchen for this and one in your bag for your water bottle.

Per serving: about 50 kcal (estimate).