This soup is a verdant green, less acidic, sweet and savory cousin of gazpacho. It’s bright, refreshing, delicious and nourishing. The contrast between the smooth, chilled soup and crisp sweet melon garnish creates an amazing balance of textures and flavors. Cooling Cucumber Soup with Melon is a bowl full of summer bounty and goodness.
When I first started to develop a recipe for cucumber soup years ago, I didn’t have high hopes, it was more for curiosity’s sake. Man, oh man, I will never again doubt the culinary significance of cucumber, and most especially, cucumber soup. It is not just good, it’s fantastic and crave-worthy. In this recipe, cucumber steps out from behind the condiment and side salad gig to shine, center stage.
Reasons To Love Cooling Cucumber Soup with Melon
- It’s a no cook recipe leaving your summer kitchen cool and the nutrients within the ingredients intact.
- This soup is so easy to make, it’s perfect for a quick weeknight meal.
- Cooling Cucumber Soup with Melon is a nuanced soup and makes an elegant dish when entertaining.
- It is a healthy plant-based soup that can be made vegan with only two small tweaks. See recipe.
- You can make this soup in advance, alleviating you from mealtime stress.
Cooling Cucumber Soup with Melon
Description
Special Equipment: high-powered blender or food processor, fine mesh sieve, soup pitcher,
soup bowls
Servings: 4-5 cups / 4-6 bowls of soup
Ingredients
Cucumber Soup
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6 fresh Persian/ mini cucumbers (or 1 1/2 English cucumbers), rough chopped
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5 celery stalks, trimmed and rough chopped
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1/2 cup seedless, green grapes, chopped
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1/2 cups plain, whole milk Greek yogurt (coconut yogurt for vegan alternative)
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1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (more for garnish)
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1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
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1 medium garlic clove, rough chopped
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1 tablespoon honey (or agave for vegan alternative)
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6 large fresh basil leaves (adjust to taste)
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6 medium fresh mint leaves (adjust to taste)
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2 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
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1/4 cup heavy cream (or full fat coconut milk) *optional for added viscosity
Melon Garnish
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1 Persian/ mini cucumber (or 1/4 English cucumber), small diced
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1 celery stalk, trimmed, small diced
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1/2 cup small diced cantaloupe
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1/2 cup small diced honeydew melon
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1/2 cup small diced seedless, green grapes
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2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
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Small squeeze of fresh lemon juice
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1/4 – 1/2 cup microgreens
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Pinch of flaky Maldon salt *optional
Instructions
Soup
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Add all of the ingredients to a blender and blend until smooth and homogenized. You should no longer see specks of individual ingredients. Adjust flavors to taste.
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Place a fine mesh sieve over a serving or soup pitcher large enough to hold the soup. Strain the soup into the pitcher.
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Cover with cling wrap and chill in the fridge for at least two hours and up to three days. The flavor of the soup develops as it sits, allowing all of the ingredients to mingle and become one unified profile.
Melon Garnish
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Add the first five ingredients to a small bowl and lightly toss to combine.
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Cover and chill in the fridge for up to three days.
Serve
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Just before serving toss the melon garnish with extra-virgin olive oil and squeeze of fresh lemon juice.
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Make equal size mounds in the middle of each soup bowl. The more height you can achieve here, the more striking the presentation. The goal is for the melon garnish to peek above the soup line.
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Top the melon with a tiny pinch of flaky Maldon Sea salt and microgreens.
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For a family style presentation; place a melon filled bowl at each table setting. Remove the soup from the fridge, stir to recombine, set the pitcher on the table and instruct guests to pour their desired amount of soup around the mound of melon garnish. Alternatively, for a fine dining presentation, pour the soup around the melon and serve fully assembled to each guest.
Enjoy!
2 Responses
This soup is so light! I love the way the colors and flavors contrast and complement. A very special soup!
Thank you!