Pretty Watermelon Gazpacho with Blackberries
watermelon cubes, grape tomatoes, micro cilantro, nasturtium whorls
edible flower petals, celery leaves, fruity olive oil
I purchased the obligatory feta cheese, tangy Bulgarian Feta to be exact, to garnish my watermelon gazpacho. But when it came time to plate my chilled soup, I thought watermelon + feta is way too predictable and the homogenous pale red soup needed some extra visual pizzazz. Additionally, I wanted to serve a soup that would appeal to my #glutenfreevegan friends… enter blackberries, grape tomatoes, and edible flowers.
The soup recipe is quite intriguing – a balance between sweet and savory -a summery marriage of juicy watermelon and red ripe tomatoes. Spicy green chile, cool cucumber and pungent red onion round out the flavors while my beloved vinagre de jerez is the spark that gives gazpacho its unique character. Good fruity olive oil adds a rich mouthfeel.
Watermelon Gazpacho Recipe
1/4 of a mini seedless watermelon – cut into chunks (about 2 c.)
3 red ripe roma tomatoes – peeled and seeded
1 spicy green chile – seeded
1 persian cucumber – peeled and seeded
2 T. diced red onion
1 t. kosher salt
several grinds black pepper
1 t. vinagre de jerez
1/4 c. good fruity olive oil
Place watermelon, tomatoes, chile, cucumber, and onion in a food processor and blend until smooth. Add salt and pepper, adjust to taste. Add vinegar then stream in olive oil with the processor running. Chill well. Makes about 3 cups.
Garnish
watermelon cubes
blackberries
grape tomatoes – halved
micro cilantro
nasturtium whorls
edible flower petals
celery leaves
good fruity olive oil
Pour chilled watermelon gazpacho into shallow bowls. Arrange garnishes along one side. Drizzle olive oil over the soup.
*Soup recipe loosely adapted from American Chef Tyler Florence. Garnish arrangement inspired by British Chef Paul Welburn.
Update: A tweet from Michelin-Star Chef Paul Welburn
Watermelon Gazpacho with Blackberries and Feta
Finally, I still did have that feta on hand, therefore just had to make another version – this time with feta and blackberries plus a fiery chile oil that was a super counterbalance to the chilled soup. There is a reason why watermelon and feta are such a popular combination after all…
Garnish
crumbled Bulgarian feta
watermelon cubes
blackberries
grape tomatoes – halved
micro cilantro
nasturtium whorls
celery leaves
fiery chile oil
Food Network featuring Watermelon
#SummerSoiree is a season long franchise where Food Network editors team up with bloggers to share recipes about everyone’s favorite SUMMERTIME dishes. This week, it’s WATERMELON.
Fans of Watermelon + Feta might want to check out my Unique Watermelon Brick, Pomegranate Syrup, Feta, Cucumber Salad here.
Get inspiration from our very popular Pinterest Board with over 500,000 followers called Let’s Pull Up A Chair here. And if you’re looking for some creative WATERMELON recipes, please visit my friends below.
Creative Culinary: Watermelon Mint Cooler
Devour: 6 Sweet Ways to Booze Up Your Watermelon
In Jennie’s Kitchen: Watermelon & Mixed Berry Pizza
Healthy Eats: How Do We Love Watermelon? Let Us Count the Ways
Taste with the Eyes: Watermelon Gazpacho – Impossibly Pretty, Mighty Tasty Too
Swing Eats: Watermelon with Feta, Mint, Olive Oil, and Sea Salt
FN Dish: All the Ways You Can Spike Fresh Watermelon
What a gorgeous presentation!