Watermelon is everyone’s favorite summer fruit, and it’s most certainly mine too! I love to enjoy it raw or folded into a delicious cold soup like the gazpacho recipe below. Watermelon is great source of vitamins A and C, and it’s 92 percent water. Its juicy qualities provide hydration, and its signature flavor is sweet and cooling. With a hot South Florida summer looming, you can pick up a fresh in-season watermelon wherever you usually buy your fruit.
Watermelons are generally at their peak from midsummer to early fall. This beloved fruit is grown on a vine-like flowering plant originally from Africa. The fruit itself has a smooth hard rind, usually green with dark green stripes, and a juicy interior flesh that is deep red to pink.
Thanks to farmers and horticulturists, over the years hundreds of watermelon varieties have been developed. For example, ‘Little Baby Flower’ is a petite, pink-fleshed cultivar that ripens quickly and never exceeds four pounds. By contrast, ‘The Crimson Sweet’ is amply proportioned and famous for its sugary, bright red flesh.
Because a watermelon’s flavor is so enjoyable in its raw state, this gazpacho recipe is the perfect vehicle to allow the fruit’s natural flavors shine. Gazpacho is a soup made of raw vegetables and served cold. It is widely eaten, particularly during the hot summers, because it is refreshing and cool. Fresh cucumber, red onion and tomato mix with the pureed watermelon to make the base of the soup, while cayenne pepper and dill prove a depth of flavor that will bump up your love of watermelon to the next level.
Watermelon and Cucumber Gazpacho
Ingredients
1 large tomato
8 cups fresh watermelon, seeded and cubed
½ English cucumber, peeled and minced
2 tablespoons red onions, minced
2 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
¼ cup olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh dill, minced, plus more for garnish
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
¼ cup crumbled feta cheese
Salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste
Directions
1. Using a food processor, puree the tomato and watermelon. Pour mixture into a large mixing bowl.
2. Add in cucumber, red onion, lime juice, vinegar, olive oil, dill and cayenne pepper. Mix to combine.
3. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
4. Pour the gazpacho into cups or small bowls and refrigerate for 30 minutes until cool.
5. Garnish with extra dill and feta cheese before serving.
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About Amanda Jane
Amanda Jane is the creator of the food blog Seasonally Jane, a creative space where she shares her love of seasonally inspired cooking through original recipes, photography and writing. Seasonally Jane celebrates the use of peak-season fruits and vegetables with an emphasis on organic whole foods and unique ingredients. Amanda launched her blog in September 2014 and is based in Lighthouse Point.
