Gazpacho is a synonym of summer. This Spanish cold soup is traditionally made with tomatoes. But I’ve found out that this delicious dish can be adapted and made with a big array of ingredients. Last year I experimented with this recipe for the first time when I made green grape and zucchini gazpacho. Even though this summer has been very mild I’ve been craving this cool treat for a long time and I finally decided to make it again when I saw in the paper a recipe for a watermelon gazpacho. I followed the recipe to the letter, something that I rarely do, and I want to share it along with my thoughts here.
Watermelon Gazpacho
Makes 6-8 servingsThe ingredients:
- 6 cups cubed seedless watermelon
- 1/2 cup cranberry juice cocktail
- 1/2 cup peeled, seeded, finely chopped cucumber (I only cubed the cucumber, most of its fiber is in the skin and seeds)
- 1/2 cup seeded, finely chopped red bell pepper
- 1/2 cup chopped celery
- 1/4 cup finley chopped red onion
- 1/4 tsp salt
- juice of 1 lime (I actually used 2)
- fresh mint leaves for garnish
The how-to:
- In a blender combine watermelon and cranberry juice. Pulse briefly until just blended (do not overprocess)
- Combine the watermelon mixture with the rest of the ingredients (except mint leaves) and refrigerate for at least 2 hours before serving.
My afterthoughts:
Print this recipe
- Even though I thought this was a very good gazpacho, there are a couple of things I would do differently next time. First I would add 1 or 2 TBSP of cubed avocado to each bowl right after serving. Gazpacho is definitely better with avocado. This gazpacho was a little too sweet for my taste so I would also add a jalapeno or two for some spiciness and/or skip the cranberry juice. Watermelon has enough water content to make the gazpacho soupy and I would avoiding all those undesired sugars and high fructose syrup they add to the juice (ugh!).
¡Buen provecho!
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22 Replies
That has to be the best & most vibrant looking gazpachos I have ever seen! The first picture is just awesome.
Posted on August 26th, 2009 at 4:20 pm
Delicioso, Ben. So perfect for this long, long HOT summer. Me encanta la sandia. I'll have to try this. Thanks.
Posted on August 26th, 2009 at 4:57 pm
I have a big watermelon in the fridge and could make this. I've never made a Gazpacho with watermelon. This one is so full of flavors and healthy. Beautiful pictures Ben!
Posted on August 26th, 2009 at 5:38 pm
Not a big fan of gazpacho but I love the frutiness!
Posted on August 26th, 2009 at 9:17 pm
Interesting flavour combinations Ben! Looks very refreshing for warmer weather!
Posted on August 26th, 2009 at 10:29 pm
That has to be one of the most camera loving photogenic soups I've ever seen. I mean you're a master at it, but that's a pretty soup. I'm always up for fresh watermelon, and this is a keeper. Like the No. 1 draft pick keeper
Posted on August 27th, 2009 at 12:33 am
LOVE this! I have a watermelon addiction, seriously! Your photos are stunning. Gave you a stumble:)
Posted on August 27th, 2009 at 2:59 am
Beautiful colours, picture and flavours Ben. Wish I was more creative with watemelon…nam nam nam nam nam1
Posted on August 27th, 2009 at 8:50 am
This is unbelievable!! I can see a beautiful table set in my garden serving this delightful soup!!! Can't wait for summer!!!
Posted on August 27th, 2009 at 9:16 am
Your afterthought is exactly what I was thinking as I read the recipe. I'd definitely ditch the cranberry juice; otherwise, this sounds so refreshing…even more so than the traditional version.
Posted on August 27th, 2009 at 1:21 pm
That's a nice-looking gazpacho! The avocado and jalapeno sound like great additions for next time.
Posted on August 27th, 2009 at 2:52 pm
Amazing combo of flavors! Waiting to have in summer to taste these refreshing delights
Cheers!
Gera
Posted on August 27th, 2009 at 3:58 pm
I love the balance of sweet and savory with this dish. It looks so easy and full of summer.
Posted on August 28th, 2009 at 3:06 am
I made a gazpacho like this but didn't use cranberry juice. Instead, I added a few Tbsp of red wine vinegar and some jalapeno.
Posted on August 28th, 2009 at 1:31 pm
It does sound a little sweet (for me, any way – perhaps a bit of hot minced green chile?), but it looks fabulous, and I'm sure would please some palates. Compelling photos.
Posted on August 28th, 2009 at 8:25 pm
you always read my mind (y siempre te me adelantas!) I’ve being thinking on trying the watermelon gazpacho. Now I will.
I like your recipe, and is the one I will try for my watermelon gazpacho experiment, but thinking in adding some booze…what do you recommend?
Posted on August 28th, 2009 at 10:08 pm
[...] I was also particularly intrigued with a Watermelon Gazpacho which came from Ben of What’s Cooking? [...]
Posted on August 30th, 2009 at 12:38 pm
Ben, this looks so good, fresh and colorful. I just LOVE it!
Your pictures are total food porn, BTW. 
Posted on August 30th, 2009 at 6:47 pm
Ben,
This looks Fantastic! I am in love with your pictures:)
Posted on August 30th, 2009 at 11:20 pm
[...] Photo Title: Watermelon Gazpacho [...]
Posted on September 8th, 2009 at 11:58 am
I love the tomatoe version of gazpacho and I would never have come up with trying this with watermelon, but it sure does look amazing. That first photo just pops of the screen. love it!
Posted on September 15th, 2009 at 7:07 pm
I was just about to go to bed and now you've made me hungry! That looks so good!
Posted on September 22nd, 2009 at 3:23 am
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