Chilled Watermelon Soup with Chile and Lime
Cooling watermelon meets piquant jalapeño chile and zesty lime in this refreshing soup. Serve as a first course on a hot summer day.
Ingredients
- 4 cups seedless watermelon chunks
- 1 large jalapeño chile
- 3 green onions, thinly sliced
- Grated zest and juice of 1 lime
- 1/2 cup packed fresh mint leaves, plus more for garnish
- 2 Tbs. rice vinegar
- Sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
Directions
Using a sharp knife, finely dice 1/4 cup of the watermelon and set aside for the garnish. Cut 8 thin slices from the chile and set aside for the garnish. Seed and finely dice the rest of the chile.
In a large bowl, combine the remaining watermelon, the diced chile, two-thirds of the green onions, the lime zest, lime juice, the 1/2 cup mint leaves and the vinegar. Stir to combine.
Working in batches, transfer the soup to a blender and puree until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer the soup to a covered container and refrigerate until cold, at least 1 hour. Ladle the soup into chilled bowls. Garnish with the reserved diced watermelon and chile slices, the remaining green onions and a few mint leaves and serve. Serves 4.
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Cooking for Friends, by Alison Attenborough and Jamie Kimm (Oxmoor House, 2008).