This Aug. 22, 2016 photo shows cantaloupe and watermelon gazpacho in New York. This dish is from a recipe by Sara Moulton. (Sara Moulton via AP)

This Aug. 22, 2016 photo shows cantaloupe and watermelon gazpacho in New York. This dish is from a recipe by Sara Moulton. (Sara Moulton via AP)

Watermelon and Cantaloupe Gazpacho is refreshing soup

  • By SARA MOULTON
  • Tuesday, August 30, 2016 5:33pm
  • LifeFood

Watermelon and Cantaloupe Gazpacho takes advantage of the wonderful melons that are abundant at this time of year. It’s a refreshing end-of-summer soup and a choice dish with which to launch a Labor Day party. I call it a gazpacho, but I’m using the term very loosely because it makes no use of tomatoes. What puts it within shouting distance of the classic Spanish soup is that it’s served chilled and it’s chunky.

There are a few key steps in the making of it. Start by looking for the ripest melons you can find. The watermelon should have a large yellow or white mark somewhere on its skin. This tell-tale spot is the one on which the melon rested as it grew. The more pronounced the spot, the more time the melon has spent ripening. The cantaloupe should boast a rich golden color and smell strongly of, well, cantaloupe when you take a whiff of its stem end.

To achieve the smoothest possible texture, you will need to puree the melon in a blender. No other machine produces so creamy a result. To point up and counterbalance the melon’s natural sweetness, start with the suggested amounts of lemon and lime, although you may decide to add more if your melon is exceptionally sweet.

Heat, like acid, is another way to balance sugar, which is why I’ve built some chopped chiles into this recipe. But I also happen to be a fan of the hot stuff. If you’re not, leave them out. The feta cheese contributes not only to the unique flavor of the soup, but also adds a dose of saltiness, providing some welcome contrast to the sweetness of the fruit. But feel free to swap in sour cream if that’s what you’d prefer. The mint is a strong accent all by itself, but you could replace it with basil and/or cilantro — or add them to accompany the mint. However you adjust the flavorings, be sure to serve the finished product chilled.

Start to finish: 3 hours 45 minutes (45 active)

Servings: 8

6 cups coarse chunks plus 2 cups small cubes cantaloupe

2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

6 cups coarse chunks plus 2 cups small cubes watermelon

2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

1 cup chopped strawberries

3/4 cup crumbled feta

2 tablespoons shredded mint

1 small jalapeno or serrano, chopped, with seeds and ribs

In a blender puree the coarse chunks of cantaloupe with the lemon juice until very smooth. Transfer to a pitcher and chill at least 3 hours.

Rinse out the blender, add the coarse chunks of watermelon and the lime juice and puree until very smooth. Transfer to a pitcher and chill for at least 3 hours.

To serve: Pour both soups from their pitchers into each bowl at the same time from opposite sides of the bowl so that the soups stay basically on opposite sides. Drop some of the cantaloupe cubes into the cantaloupe half of the soup and some of the watermelon into the watermelon half. Top each portion with some of the strawberries, cheese, mint and chiles.

Nutrition information per serving: 147 calories; 33 calories from fat; 4 g fat (2 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 13 mg cholesterol; 157 mg sodium; 28 g carbohydrate; 2 g fiber; 23 g sugar; 4 g protein

More in Life

This takeout favorite is deceptively easy and comes together faster than it can be delivered. (Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion)
A sweet and sour dinner for 3

I really wanted some sweet and sour takeout this weekend, but all my favorite restaurants are far outside of delivery range.

The Seward Sleeper Sharks present during the 28th Annual Alaska Tsunami Bowl in the Seward High School Auditorium in Seward, Alaska, on Feb. 28, 2025. (Photo provided by Mica Van Buskirk)
Seward teams earn 2nd, 4th place at Alaska Tsunami Bowl

Seward students who competed this year were recognized Monday with a commending resolution by the Seward City Council.

These poached pears get their red tinge from a cranberry juice bath. (Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion)
A dessert to stimulate the senses

These crimson-stained cranberry poached pears offer a soft and grainy texture.

File
Minister’s Message: Palm Sunday — ‘Hosanna in the highest!’

The fact that Jesus came back to Jerusalem for Passover was an intentional decision of Jesus.

Cecil Miller took leave from Akron (Ohio) Police Department to join the U.S. Navy Seabees during World War II. When he returned to the force after his military service, he was featured in an October 1945 article in the Akron Beacon Journal.
The Man Called ‘Greasy’ — Part 2

Two distinct versions of Cecil “Greasy” Miller received the most publicity during his brief tenure on the southern Kenai Peninsula.

The cast of Seward High School Theatre Collective’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” rehearse on Thursday, April 3, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
‘A jaunt into a fantastical world’

Seward theater collective returns for second weekend of “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.”

“Octoparty,” by Kenai Alternative High School student Adelynn DeHoyos, and “Green Speckled Ocean,” by Soldotna High School Student Savannah Yeager are seen as part of the 34th Annual Visual Feast Kenai Peninsula Borough School District Juried Student Art Show during an opening reception at the Kenai Art Center in Kenai, Alaska, on Friday, April 4, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
‘Consume a bunch of art’

The 34th Annual Visual Feast showcases art by Kenai Peninsula Borough School District students.

Debbie Adams joins Kenai Mayor Brian Gabriel in cutting a ribbon during the grand opening of Debbie’s Bistro in its new location in the Kenai Municipal Airport in Kenai, Alaska, on Saturday, April 5, 2025. (Jake Dye/Peninsula Clarion)
Debbie’s Bistro opens in Kenai Municipal Airport

The menu features waffles, waffle pizzas and waffle sandwiches.

Photo courtesy of the Pratt Museum
During her brief time on the southern Kenai Peninsula, Dorothy Miller, wife of Cecil “Greasy” Miller, was a part of the Anchor Point Homemakers Club. Here, Dorothy (far left, standing) joins fellow area homemakers for a 1950 group shot. Sitting on the sled, in the red blouse, is Dorothy’s daughter, Evelyn, known as “Evie.”
The Man Called ‘Greasy’ — Part 1

There are several theories concerning the origin of Cecil Miller’s nickname “Greasy.”

Most Read