Watermelon Sweet Corn & Poblano Grilled Skewers

Name: Watermelon Sweet Corn & Poblano Grilled Skewers
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 25 min
Ingredients: 2 large corn cobs, cooked and sliced; 1 medium seedless watermelon, rind removed and cubed; 3 poblanos, seeds removed and sliced; 1 small red onion, peeled and sliced; 1/3 cup of soy or ponzu sauce; 1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil; 2 tablespoons of honey or maple syrup; 2 cloves of garlic, finely minced; 1 tablespoon of lime juice; cojita, crumbled; fresh cilantro, finely chopped; lime wedges

July 28, 2025

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Summertime cooking should be all about easy recipes that pack a big flavor punch. When the weather is hot, the last thing you want to do is pull out a bunch of pots, pans and ingredients to make something complicated… especially if you are entertaining.

These watermelon, sweet corn and poblano skewers are like summertime on a stick. They can be ready to toss on the grill in minutes and are absolutely delicious. Sweet, juicy, caramelized… the perfect treat to enjoy on the back porch while you are waiting for your burgers to cook.

Let’s get started…

Let’s talk ingredients…

Skewers are one of those things that you can really customize, but this combination really seems to work great together.

The sweet corn can be fresh, frozen or even pre-cooked! If you use pre-cooked corn on the cob, these skewers will be ready in like 5 minutes, but if you are using fresh or frozen cobs, simply boil them for 12-15 minutes to make them nice and tender.

The skewers are only going to be grilled long enough to caramelize everything, not long enough to actually cook the corn, so the corn will need to be pre-cooked in some way.

In addition to the corn, we will need a medium seedless watermelon cut into chunks the same thickness as the corn cobs, some sliced poblanos and red onion. If you can’t find poblanos, feel free to use sweet bell peppers and if you don’t like red onions, sweet onions can be used instead.

The glaze is a simple combination of soy or ponzu sauce, extra virgin olive oil, honey or maple syrup, garlic and lime juice. This recipe will give you enough to brush the skewers on all sides, multiple times, but you can cut the amounts in half if you prefer to brush the skewers once.

Before we start building the skewers, let’s talk about the different options you have.

Today, I am grilling my skewers indoors on my favorite cast iron skillet, but if you plan to grill them over a charcoal grill or open fire, you should choose metal skewers to prevent the wooden skewers from getting charred or catching fire.

If you prefer wooden skewers, simply soak them in a bowl of water for about 30 minutes to fully saturate them before using them over an open fire, but this would be unnecessary if you are grilling these skewers over a skillet or grill pan because they are only grilled for a few minutes, so not long enough to become an issue.

Layer the ingredients in any order you prefer and brush with the glaze on all sides.

When you are ready to grill them, keep an eye on them, because they will caramelize within just a few minutes. I like to brush them with additional glaze each time I flip the skewers, but this is optional. Once will create beautiful flavor, but I love them extra sweet and salty.

Once the skewers are all caramelized, I love adding some crumbled cojita, fresh cilantro and a little extra lime. It just sends everything over the top flavor-wise and that is exactly how we want them to be…

These skewers are so fabulous. The sweet corn and poblanos charred with that sweet and salty glaze are a thing of beauty, but the watermelon is the real star of the show.

If you haven’t had grilled watermelon, let me just say that you are really missing out. There is something so special about the sweet juiciness of a watermelon getting all crisp, charred and caramelized. It is addictive and you need it in your life…

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