Water melon soup with grated citrus rind

Water melon soup with grated citrus rind will surprise you in freshness and sparkling taste. And if you like you can provide it with a bite as well. But by all means use sweet, juicy water melons. It pairs excellently with lobster or crayfish meat. This soup is also an excellent way to consume fruit and it does not take a stove! Many non-fans of water melon, love this cold soup.

The art of making water melon soup

One of the most important things is to use fresh ingredients and a sweet water melon.  Make sure to properly remove the green skin and remove all seeds. The mellow sweetness can be easily off-set by using too dominantly tasting other ingredients. In this recipe we use the grated rind of both a lemon and orange, and a de-seeded Asian red chili provides some bite.

Along with the soup we offer crayfish tails or lobster meat as well as finely sliced rings of spring onions or chives. Also provide some crème fraiche to add to the soup to provide it with more creaminess and dampen the bite.

Special equipment

• immersion blender
• strainer or coarse sieve

watermelon soup with grated citrus rind

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Prep Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr

Course Dinner, Lunch, Soup, starter

Cuisine Spanish

Servings 6

Ingredients

  

Ingredients for the soup

• a grated rind of a preserved lemon
• 3 tbsp lemon juice
• a grated rind of an orange
• 3 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice
• 4 lb water melon (a half big one)
• an Asian chilli
• a small cucumber
• 1.2 pint (0.5 L) vegetable broth

Ingredients to serve with the soup

• 1 cup cooked lobster or crayfish meat
• 1/2 cup finely sliced rings of chives or spring onions
• 1/2 cup creme fraiche (optional)

Instructions

 

Instruction to make the soup

• Wash the water melon and cut the water melon in slices; remove the skin including all the green or light (hard) parts
• Remove all the seeds and take the flesh to a clean bowl. Cut a 4 oz (110 g) of the melon flesh in small cubes, which will be used to place in the bowl for serving
• Grate the rind of a lemon and the rind of an orange and add to the bowl with the water melon flesh
• Squeeze the lemon and the orange juice and reserve the juices
• Skin the cucumber, remove seeds if any and slice roughly and place together with the melon flesh in the bowl
• Clean and de-seed an Asian chilli and cut in small rings
• Mix the bowl containing the water melon pieces, the cucumber pieces the grated rinds of lemon and orange and the sliced Asian chilli, and add the cold vegetable broth
• Add some salt and pepper and use the immersion blender to homogenize

Instruction for the condiments to be served with the soup

• Prepare the lobster or crayfish meat. Use a fresh one and cook or use a can or frozen package
• Clean and cut the chives or spring onions in small rings
• Prepare the crème fraiche
• Have the water melon cubes ready
• Bring the soup cold in the bowl and offer the cold lobster or crayfish, the water melon cubes and the crème fraiche for the guests to add.

Notes

Method: no heat treatment, raw

Food allergy & intolerance information: shell fish (can be left out)

Keyword citrus rind, water melon soup

Remarks

1.  This soup also benefits from a bit longer maturing time, a half day or a day. But do this in the refrigerator and in a covered pot.
2.  Preferably make the vegetable broth yourself as that will benefit the taste of this soup.
3.  If you have no fresh crayfish or lobster meat, you can go for frozen or even canned material as substitute.
4.  The recipe for preserved lemons you find here. If you do not have this available, use the rind of a half lemon.