Mango Tree Restaurant’s Watermelon Jam

My wife and I honeymooned in St. Lucia at the Stonefield Villas. Their restaurant on site made almost everything from scratch with ingredients harvested nearby on the island. Every meal was incredible, but one thing stood out above the rest.

Every meal came with bread and jam. I was shocked at the complexity and depth of this translucent red jam one night at dinner and I could not put my finger on the flavor. I asked the server, who told me “Its the watermelon jam”. I embarrassedly said “oh”, since we had been served the same watermelon jam every day for multiple meals. Every time I had it, a different level of flavor shined through. If I could have bought it by the jar, I would have brought some home.

I posted a video attempting to make it by blending and reducing watermelon with some lemon and fruit pectin. Shockingly, that was not the recipe, and it did not taste anything like the jam I’d adored on the island. After about 3 million views across Instagram, TikTik and Youtube, and many dozens of recipe requests, I was able to get in contact with their culinary team. They shared their written restaurant standard, which I have been given permission to share with you.