Watermelon tuna – it’s a thing. Vegan substitutes have been popping up for years and now, among the sea of recipes and products, a method for making “tuna” from watermelon has emerged.
The technique, which gained traction on TikTok, has made recipes like this go viral. Recently, social media influencer Halle Burns demonstrated how she turns watermelon into tuna.
Burns, who has published a vegan cookbook, bakes the watermelon for three hours, then slices it and marinates it. Finally, she serves the pieces over rice, claiming that watermelon can transform into a fantastic fish dish. Her video has racked up millions of views on TikTok, but reactions were mixed. “I made it, and now you owe me for therapy,” one viewer commented. Another, from Israel, was more blunt: “Gross. I’m gagging.”
Despite some negative reactions, the recipe is now well-known. A quick Google search pulls up numerous vegan guides on how to make watermelon “tuna.” The resemblance to tuna is mainly visual – the red color is similar – but recipe creators claim that the taste is close, too. Nutritionally, however, it lacks protein, so it’s not exactly a sashimi replacement.
And the flavor? Some fans call it “the best tuna ever,” but plenty of people have tried it and report there’s no similarity to tuna – and that it’s not very tasty either. One watermelon farmer who made it summed it up: “What's wrong with regular watermelon?”
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