Watermelons showing up in local menus where you don't expect them

This time of year, farm workers throughout Sussex County are busy harvesting watermelons, loading them on converted school buses for delivery to local distribution centers.

And some of those tasty melons are ending up at local restaurants, where chefs have discovered an array of creative uses, ranging from cold soups to cocktails and salads.

"Watermelon this time of year is so sweet, so tasty," said Kevin Reading, owner of Abbott's Grill in Milford and Laurel.

"We love all types of summer melons," said Doug Ruley, SoDel Concepts vice president and director of culinary operations.

Abbott's uses local melons to create a cold soup — chilled gazpacho.

"It makes for a refreshing summertime soup," Reading said.

Though watermelon is not usually the first thing that comes up in a discussion about grilling, Reading thinks it should be.

For example, Reading makes a grilled watermelon caprese, a salad that is popular in the summer.

"I love to grill watermelons," he said.

And, to help wash down that soup and salad, Abbott's bartenders also make a mojito, which is a cocktail featuring watermelons.

Crooked Hammock in Lewes offers a spinach and watermelon salad, with cucumber, feta cheese, red onions and a balsamic vinaigrette dressing.

Chefs Matt Frye and Dom Pandofino developed the recipe after some brainstorming to identify new summertime dishes.

"We wanted something that fit into the backyard barbecue theme," Pandofino said.

Pandofino said the original idea came from Frye, "then we played with presentation and ingredients."

"It has been a real big hit," Pandofino said.

Meanwhile, John Wilkinson, Crooked Hammock bar manager, developed a watermelon margarita for summertime patrons.

"There is no shortage of watermelon options here," said Pandofino.

At a(MUSE) in Rehoboth Beach, chef Hari Cameron offers a watermelon appetizer with pickled peppers, mint and watermelon relish. Cameron will be discussing his use of local ingredients, including melons, at the Lewes Farmers Market on Sept. 7.

Chesapeake & Maine restaurant in Rehoboth Beach offers a blueberry and watermelon salad, which includes SeaQuench Ale from Dogfish Head Brewery.

Meanwhile, the restaurants in the SoDel family have discovered myriad uses for local watermelons.

Bluecoast in Rehoboth uses East View Farms melons for its salad, which features a secret spice developed by Ruley.

Papa Grande's in Rehoboth offers a Magee Farms watermelon and jicama salad while its sister restaurant on Fenwick Island has a salad with a mix of watermelon, cantaloupe, jicama, pomegranate and cilantro with a citrus vinaigrette dressing.

The menu at Lupo in Rehoboth Beach includes a gazpacho with watermelon, peaches, cucumbers and yogurt. Also on the cocktail menu: white sangria with watermelon.

Matt's Fish Camp in Lewes features a salad with watermelon, local tomatoes, plums and nectarines. The Matt's outpost in Bethany Beach has a watermelon crush on its drink menu.

Ellen Magee of Magee Farms in Selbybille said they have been supplying SoDel with fruits and vegetables for years.

"We supply all of their watermelons," she said.

Delaware's watermelon crop covers about 2,500 acres. In 2016, farmers harvested 83 million pounds of watermelons valued at $11.8 million, according to Kenneth M. Bounds, Delaware deputy agriculture secretary.

Though Magee said they will be harvesting watermelons well into September, local chefs say the demand for some offerings will depend on the weather.

"If the temperature drops 10 degrees, we can't get rid of a cold soup," Reading said.

Meanwhile, local chefs are continuing to explore new uses for local watermelon.

"Watermelon is so versatile," said SoDel's Ruley.