Watermelon paletas with chili-lime salt

Watermelon paletas with chili-lime salt are Mexican style ice blocks or popsicles made using fresh seasonal fruit and dipped in chili-lime salt before eating to create a sweet-sour taste sensation. I first heard about this flavour pairing in the Flavour thesaurus by Niki Segnit which mentions chilli watermelon Mexican sweets and on further researching this pairing I became fascinated with Mexican paletas. The vibrant colours and flavours of these ice blocks are amazing: watermelon with chili-lime salt or tajin and mango with a sweet-sour chilli and fruit sauce called chamoy being two of the standout flavours.

My version of watermelon paletas with chili-lime salt relies on orange juice for sweetening rather than sugar, but still has a nice sour note from the lime. For making cocktails such as my watermelon margarita I like to add cinnamon to the chilli-lime salt for a little extra sweetness and heat. Making flavoured salt is a great way to use up citrus rinds and create a delicious condiment. The chili-lime salt uses mild Ancho chili, salt flakes and for cocktails cinnamon.

This paletas recipe uses the fruit of the watermelon – reserve the rind to make watermelon rind pickles which are delicious in cocktails such as my watermelon margarita or a classic lime margarita. The citrus rinds from the limes and oranges can be saved and used to make flavoured salts or to enhance pickles.

These watermelon paletas or ice blocks are very popular with my kids who like them without the chill-lime salt, while I prefer the sweet-sour sensation especially on a hot day, they are a great way to cool down.