Last summer I was given a cruise on Royal Caribbean as a graduation gift by my Sister and Brother-In-Law after finishing my Masters of Science in InfoSec. While on board I fell in love with cold fruit soups that were an option at dinner seating’s. One of my favorite was a watermelon soup. Since watermelons are in peak season, I had to try my hand at making some.
I started researching flavors and types of summer cold fruit soups and came across a recipe from Royal Caribbean that I made ( I occasionally follow recipes)
Watermelon Gazpacho
1 cup peeled and thinly sliced cucumbers
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
6 cups (840g) cubed seedless watermelon
1/2 cup (125 ml) cranberry juice cocktail
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded and finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
1/4 cup (35g) minced fresh Italian parsley
2 to 3 tablespoons fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon sherry vinegar
8 mint leaves for garnish
1. In a small bowl, toss the cucumbers with salt and set aside
2. In a food processor or blender, combine watermelon and cranberry juice. Pulse briefly until just blended (do not over process or the juice will become frothy and pale). Strain the mixture through a fine sieve over a noncreative bowl, pushing down on the solids to extract as much liquid as you can, leaving the pulp behind.
3. Stir in bell pepper, onion, celery, parsley, lime juice and vinegar. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour to let flavors blend.
4. To serve, rinse cucumber and pat dry with paper towel. Divide soup among chilled soup bowls and garnish with cucumbers and mint leaves.
The result was not bad, but I was not a big fan of the chunks of raw pepper, onion and celery floating in the delicate watermelon “broth”. I also did not think the cranberry juice added anything except a little tartness and a slight bitterness. I also think the sweetness of the watermelon base would benefit from a little “bite”. My next batch was as follows
Watermelon Soup
About 6 cups of cubed watermelon, no seeds
Juice of 1-2 Limes
1 Jalapeno pepper, seeded
About 2 tablespoons of honey
A 1″ piece of fresh Ginger, peeled
1/4 to 1/2 cup white wine (I went with a sweet white)
In blender or food processor, combine lime juice, jalapeno, honey and ginger and blend until smooth. Add watermelon cubes and blend again until smooth. Add white wine. If you would like additional sweetness add more honey, or a simple syrup. Add more lime juice if you want the flavor a little brighter. Chill before serving
The results were sweet, smooth, bright with a little bite. This will become one of my go-to summer soups during watermelon season.
Extemporary Eats 