Watermelon Gazpacho

Talk about a surprise summer soup! All the regular gazpacho flavors are prevalent, but the undertones of sweetness from the watermelon balance out this addicting recipe. I like to eat it as is, but the addition of the creamy, rich avocado slice elevates the experience!

Makes 6-8 cups

Prep time: 10 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1 ice cold 3 lb. ripe seedless watermelon
  • 1 large cucumber, skinned, seeded (or 2 medium)
  • 2 large celery stalks
  • 1 small head romaine lettuce, trimmed, cut up
  • 2 medium, dense, heirloom tomatoes, seeded, chopped
  • 1-2 teaspoons minced garlic
  • Juice from 1-2 limes, or more to taste
  • 2 tablespoons white balsamic or rice vinegar
  • 2 tablespoons fresh chopped cilantro, basil, mint or parsley (I used lots of cilantro)
  • Sea salt, to taste
  • 1 ripe, but not mushy avocado

Instructions

  1. Slice the watermelon, cut up most of it, taking out the seeds; reserve 1 cup, diced into small cubes.
  2. Toss the cut up watermelon into a Vita-Mix or blender.
  3. Add the cucumber, celery, lettuce, tomato, garlic. Pulse and blend the mix briefly to process it.
  4. Add the juice from one lime, and the vinegar, chopped herbs, sea salt. Pulse until combined.
  5. Taste it and add more lime juice, salt or vinegar if you want.
  6. Pour into a storage container and cover and chill until serving; at least 2 hours.

To serve: Ladle chilled gazpacho into small bowls. Add in a few pieces of the diced watermelon cubes. Top with a large slice of avocado and finely chopped cilantro.

Steps for choosing a ripe and sweet watermelon:

Look – the shell should be dark green with white striations and a large yellowish patch (field spot) which indicates it sat on the vine longer. The shell should also be dull, not shiny.

Touch – pick it up. It should be heavier compared to other same size watermelons which indicates there’s more water.

Listen – thump or knock on the shell and place your ear close to it to hear a really low, base sound.