Summer Eating: Watermelon Gazpacho

July 25, 2013

Watermelon gazpacho is a modern take on this classic cold Spanish soup. This recipe traditionally uses tomatoes but they have been replaced with watermelon. The sweetness of the watermelon combined with the spicy jalapeno pepper creates a balanced yet refreshing soup. This watermelon gazpacho works great as an appetizer or a light lunch with a side of bread.

Watermelon Gazpacho

Ingredients:

1 small seedless watermelon, cut up into chunks

1 jalapeno pepper

3 stalks of green onion, sliced thinly

1 lime

1/4 cup of mint leaves

1 tablespoon of rice vinegar

sea salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Put the watermelon chunks into a large bowl (you should use approximately 3 cups worth). Reserve a few chunks for garnish.

Zest the lime over the watermelon and squeeze the lime juice into the bowl.

Cut a few thin slices of the jalapeno pepper and set aside for garnish. Finely dice the rest of the jalapeno (make sure to remove the seeds) and add to the bowl.

Add in the green onions (reserve some for garnish), rice vinegar and mint leaves, stirring to combine.

Transfer the mixture into a blender, whipping until creamy and smooth.

Season with sea salt and pepper, to taste.

Chill in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Garnish with watermelon chunks, jalapeno pepper slices, green onion and a few mint leaves.