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Refreshing melon, sweet onion, and jalapeño chutney with lime and basil—bright, juicy, and perfect for summer grilling or as a zesty burger topping.

Melon, Sweet Onion, Pepper, and Lime Grillside Chutney
Makes 1 pint (halves and doubles well)

Fork-whisk all of the ingredients in a bowl and let the flavors meld while you prepare other foods. Serve cool but not chilled.

Cook's Tips and Tricks: Mess around with your choices of melons (cantaloupe and Persian), peppers (hot Hungarian wax and ancho), and citrus (orange and lemon). We have even tried juicy stone fruits such as peaches and nectarines. The proportions and balance are up to your tastes. This is not the chutney you want to can in a hot water bath, but you could certainly share the fresh product.

California dreamin’. Yellow rose of Texas. A hot New York minute. Rocky Mountain high. All short-lived but sweeter for their origin.

Sweet onions are the same. Named for the places they are grown, they show up at different times of the harvest and elongate the pleasures. Vidalia, Walla Walla, and Maui appear from May to September, each in its own time.  We snap them up when they become available; keep them in our airy, dark drying closet; and enjoy them within a few days. We love them raw or hot off a quickly warming grill, as the sauté pan and broiler seem to wreck their delicate texture and flavor.

And when the melons and peppers peak at the same time as sweet onions, the selection and combinations are endless. Here is but one idea on offer. We make it fresh and quickly and let it sidle up to grilled meats and vegetables, as well as atop burgers and sandwiches.

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