Cantaloupe Soup Recipe

Chilled Cantaloupe Soup Recipe

We love cold soups in the summer. This Cantaloupe Soup recipe from Dawn Brockett is a healthy, light, versatile soup and perfect for a hot summer day! Delicious served with a dollop of basil-mint pesto and/or crème fraîche! It’s also elegant enough to serve as a starter for a summer luncheon or light dinner.

Cantaloupe Soup

Course Side Dish, Soup

Cuisine American

Keyword cold soup

Servings 2

Equipment

Blender or food processor

Ingredients

1 small cantaloupe or similar melon
1 sprig of mint approximately 8 leaves
1/2 lime
salt
additional mint and lime for garnish

Instructions

Halve cantaloupe and scoop out seeds for compost or rubbish.
Scoop melon into the blender . Carefully flatten the round bottom of each empty melon shell by taking off a thin slice, in order to allow it to sit flat. Rinse and reserve for serving.
Squeeze juice of half a lime into the blender. Add mint leaves and pinch of salt.
Purée completely. Taste for salt, adding more if desired.
Serve in melon halves, with mint sprig and thin slice of lime for garnish.

Notes

When choosing a cantaloupe, avoid any melon with soft spots that give to the touch. This is a sign that it might be rotten. A ripe cantaloupe is salmon-colored under the raised netting of its shell. If green, it is likely underripe. Choose the heaviest cantaloupe for its size, as this indicates high water content. Finally, smell the vine end. It should smell sweetly fragrant.

If serving more than 2, purchase additional small melons, rather than a single larger melon, in order to use halves as individual serving bowls. Otherwise, large melon halves could serve a group with individual bowls.

To get more juice out of a lemon or lime, press the palm of your hand on the fruit and roll it around against the counter until you feel it has more “give”. This pressure breaks some of the internal cell membranes, allowing for better juice extraction when you halve and squeeze the fruit.

Serving Suggestions:
Chill before serving.
Try this recipe with the full variety of late-summer melons. If using honeydew, substitute the mint for basil–a delightful combination!