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Make a Watermelon Shark

How to make a watermelon shark that is sure to be a hit at your next summer BBQ! Fill with fruit and gummy fish for a fun added detail! 
Pin Recipe
Active Time25 minutes
Total Time25 minutes
Author: Brandy Nelson
Cost: $8

Equipment

  • platter or cutting board

Materials

  • seedless watermelon
  • large knife
  • sharp paring knife
  • melon baller
  • permanent marker
  • toothpicks
  • gummy fish

Instructions

  • If the watermelon is dusty, give it a quick wash and dry with a towel.
  • You will need to cut a flat surface on the watermelon so that it can stand on its own. To do this, cut off about ⅓ of the watermelon on a diagonal angle.
    knife cutting bottom of watermelon
  • Place the watermelon, flat side down, onto your work surface (large platter or cutting board).
  • Cut out the mouth opening with a sharp knife.
    watermelon with section removed
  • Use melon baller to scoop out the watermelon. Leave 2-3" of the base intact. We learned the hard way that if you scoop out too much of the watermelon that the juices will leak out the bottom. Leaving 3" of watermelon will create a barrier.
    melon baller scooping watermelon from watermelon shark
  • Use a smaller utility knife or Exacto knife to carefully cut out teeth. To do this, score a shallow outline (about 1") around the mouth, only cutting through the green rind.
    scoring watermelon with knife
  • Then carve off the strip of green rind until you have a 1" white outline around the mouth (white rind of the watermelon). The white strip will be the teeth area.
    carving mouth of watermelon shark
  • Make triangle cuts all around the white outline area to create teeth in serrated pattern.
    knife cutting shark teeth from watermelon
  • Remember the ⅓ of the watermelon that you cut off? Use that to cut out a dorsal fin and fins.
  • Attach fins with toothpicks. Draw an eye on with a permanent marker.

Video

Notes

You can make a watermelon shark out of a round or oblong watermelon. 
Red grapes or blueberries can be used for the eyes (attach with a toothpick or wooden skewers).
Use a melon baller to scoop out watermelon. Gummy fish are such a fun added detail but do get sticky if touching the watermelon. Have some on the side that are nice and dry to serve with the watermelon. 
For a fruit salad shark, add cantaloupe and diced pineapple with the balls of watermelon in the shark.
 
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