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).