Piel de Sapo Melon© Denzil Green
A Piel de Sapo Melon has rough, waxy skin with no netting, but with slight furrows and green and black stripes (actually more like striations) running from top to bottom.
The skin is mottled green when unripe, changing to yellow with green mottling when ripe.
The vine will be 8 to 10 feet (2 ½ to 3 metres) long.
The melon is oval, and takes about 90 to 110 days to mature, depending on where it is grown.
When ripe, they will have some give on the end opposite the stem end. The more ripe they are, the more there will be a yellowish tinge to the skin. They will continue to ripen after harvest.
Piel de Sapo Melon
The flesh inside is crisp, ranging in colour from white to pale yellow to green. It is pale green near the rind, getting whiter near the centre. It is sweet, but not as sweet as other melons.
An average Piel de Sapo Melon weighs 3 to 5 pounds (1.3 to 2 kg) and is about 12 inches (30 cm) long.
The melon was developed in Spain. Now grown as well in Brazil and Costa Rica.
Cooking Tips
Good with seafood.
Storage Hints
Owing to their thick rinds, they have a very long shelf life when uncut, even outside the refrigerator, as long as they are stored in a cool place. And also owing to their thick rind, none of the inside smell will come through.
Language Notes
Piel de Sapo means “skin of the toad” in Spanish.