Chill, baby, chill: Watermelon-tomato gazpacho should be served icy cold, preferably as an aperitif with a few tiny avocado, bacon and shrimp open-faced sandwiches.
How often has this happened to you?
A dish that seems brilliant the first time around, falls to earth with a thud the next time you order it.
Last April I wandered into the lobby of a swank Boston hotel. On a rainy day the chilly dining room had all the allure of a designer igloo. I sat down anyway and surreptitiously kicked off my wet shoes. I was hungry.
Who knows why I ordered the watermelon-tomato gazpacho that day? Maybe I was dreaming of summer.
But I can’t tell you how beautiful it was. In the center of a gleaming white bowl with a broad rim, shimmered a small pool of bright cerise soup with the texture of silk velvet. A stack of avocado chunks crowned by a curl of pristine pink lobster tail rose up like a pale green island in the middle of this rosy lake.
Oh, where was my camera? It was almost too beautiful to eat—but I managed. The first spoonful dazzled my taste buds. The gazpacho was sweet and tart, almost sparkling with fresh green taste of cilantro (but nary a trace of the leaf), a splash of lime, and, lurking in the shadows, a touch of peppery heat.
But it was the watermelon that was the revelation. Refreshing, sugary and cold, it conjured up long ago summer nights, sitting outside in the dark in our pajamas, eating slices of icy melon, letting the sweet sticky juice drip onto our bare feet.
I couldn’t wait to try it again on an actual summer day. Naturally you can't go home again. The original gazpacho had disappeared, and in its place, a lackluster understudy had shuffled on stage. Maybe the chef was on vacation, maybe he was distracted, or maybe—well, let’s just say the soup was a dud.
Still, I couldn’t get the flavors of the original gazpacho out of my mind. So when a paper bag of ripe red tomatoes and a small seedless watermelon with a curly tail found their way into my market basket last week, I took it as an invitation.
There are a few secrets to making really delicious watermelon-tomato gazpacho. It goes without saying, of course, that both of the main ingredients must be perfectly ripe—which shouldn’t be too hard since we’re nearing the end of the hottest July on record.
But there’s more to it than that. First there’s the question of proportion. More watermelon or more tomato? I tried it both ways, and with equal amounts of the two ingredients. The most luscious blend—and the taste closest to the original—tips in favor of the watermelon. There should be just enough tomato to add body to the lightness of the fruit: You’ll taste the tomato, but it won’t dominate the flavor of the soup.
Second, mint, cilantro, lime, and cayenne make all the difference between a so-so and a staggeringly delicious gazpacho. But you mustn’t go overboard. Start with the modest amounts listed in the recipe, chill and then taste. You might add more lime juice, even another pinch of cayenne, but please don’t upset the delicate balance of the soup.
Third: Chill, baby, chill. More than any other gazpacho, this one demands to be served icy cold. That means at least two, preferably three hours in the refrigerator. You can also make it the day before—it will be just as good 24 hours later—but be sure to taste and adjust the seasonings before serving.
Here are three ideas for serving this summery delight.
First, you can simply ladle it into a glass, sit down on the porch and drink it. Especially good on hot days when you really don’t feel like cooking. (Well, you do have to peel the tomatoes, but they only have to be dipped in boiling water for a few seconds.)
Second, if you want to dress it up—maybe a few friends are stopping by—serve the gazpacho in bowls, with a few thin slices of avocado and a cooked shrimp or two floating on top. A very pretty, not too labor-intensive riff on the lobster and avocado stack in the original dish. A lot cheaper too.
Third, (this is my favorite, even if it is more work) pour the well-chilled soup into small crystal glasses and serve as an aperitif with little open-faced sandwiches of avocado, thick-cut smoked bacon, a single cooked shrimp, diced tomato and a sprig of cilantro.
This, I have to say, is absolute heaven and a lovely way to start a summer supper with friends. You could go straight to dessert afterwards and no one would care.
Icy Cold Watermelon-Tomato Gazpacho with Mint, Cilantro and Lime
To serve 2 as a main course, or 4 as an aperitif
Ingredients for the gazpacho:
3 cups ripe, seedless watermelon, cut into 1 inch chunks (rind removed, obviously)
3 or 4 large ripe tomatoes, peeled and cored, seeds and juice removed, cut into small pieces—about 2 cups (see note)
1 tablespoon cilantro, very finely chopped
6 large, fresh mint leaves, very finely chopped
½ teaspoon sea salt, or to taste
Tiny pinch of cayenne pepper
Juice of one lime (about 2 tablespoons)
Optional:
1 ripe avocado, peeled and thinly sliced
8 large cold, cooked shrimp, peeled (see note)
Method for the gazpacho:
1. Combine the watermelon and tomato in a food processor and whirr until very smooth and well-blended, about 2 minutes. Taste. You should taste more watermelon than tomato, so add a little more melon if necessary.
2. Add the cilantro, mint, salt and a tiny pinch of cayenne. Blend. Add the lime juice and blend again.
3. Chill for 2 to 3 hours or overnight. Taste and adjust seasonings again, adding more lime and salt if the mixture is too sweet. Now is the time to add more cayenne, but remember that there should be just a touch of heat.
4. To serve, ladle the soup into individual bowls and garnish with avocado and shrimp, if using.
Note: To peel tomatoes, bring a medium pot of water to bowl. Drop the tomatoes into the water for 15 seconds. Immediately remove with a slotted spoon. Let them cool slightly. Using a sharp knife, core the tomatoes and slip off the skins. They should come off easily.
To remove the juice and seeds, cut the tomatoes in half and squeeze gently into a bowl. You may have to remove some of the seeds with a spoon if they are firmly attached. Cut the tomato flesh into small chunks before processing.
Note: You can buy cooked shrimp if you like, but I prefer to boil my own. Here is the method:
Cut down the back of each shrimp with sharp paring knife, cutting through the shell. Gently rinse to remove the dark vein. Do not remove the shell. Bring a medium pot of water to boil, add a tablespoon of salt, and cook the shrimp for 2 to 3 minutes, until they have turned bright pink and are just cooked all the way through. The water does not have to return to a boil. Drain them in a strainer and let cool. Peel the shrimp and toss with a little lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Refrigerate until needed.
Avocado, Bacon, Shrimp and Tomato Open-Faced Sandwiches
Makes 8 small open-faced sandwiches
Ingredients for the sandwiches:
8 slices firm-textured, homemade-style white bread, about 1/3 inch thick
Olive oil
1 or 2 ripe avocados, peeled and thinly sliced
4 to 6 strips bacon, cooked (I like the thick-cut, smoky Black Forest bacon from Whole Foods)
8 cooked shrimp, peeled and halved (so that you have two identical pieces)
1 medium tomato, peeled and cored, juice and seeds removed, flesh cut into small dice
Sea salt
8 small sprigs cilantro
Method for the sandwiches:
1. Set the oven to 350 degrees. Cut the crusts off the bread and trim to either a square or rectangle. For cocktails, you might want to trim the bread to a smaller size, say 2” x 2” or 1” x 2”. (As a heartier main course accompaniment, you can use larger slices of bread, but you will have to increase the other ingredients.)
2. Place the bread on a baking sheet and toast on the middle rack of the oven for about 6 minutes. Remove from the oven, turn, and drizzle each piece with a little olive oil. Return to the oven and toast for another 6 to 7 minutes, until the tops are barely golden. Remove and set aside. They will be very crisp, so handle carefully.
3. To make the sandwiches, layer thin slices of avocado on the toasts. Top with bacon, cut or crumbled into smaller pieces, two halves of shrimp, and a little chopped tomato. Sprinkle with sea salt and finish with a small sprig of cilantro. Trim the edges to neaten the sandwiches, if necessary, and serve at once with the gazpacho. Napkins, too!