Watermelon Gazpacho with Crab Salad, the ultimate summer soup; delicious, easy and elegant. What could be better? Perfect for company or family.
Looking for something different to serve as a light meal on a hot summer night? Or maybe you need an elegant, refreshing starter for an important dinner? This soup is the answer, it is not only delicious but makes a delightful presentation. You might expect Watermelon Gazpacho to be sweet, but the addition of the roasted red pepper and Tabasco Sauce adds just the right amount of savory.
Build the crab salad in the middle of the dish first, then carefully pour the soup around the crab and top with the black sesame seeds to mimic the watermelon seeds! Simple, refreshing, and delicious, what more do you need for a beautiful summer meal? I use an Ateco Round Mold to build the salad.
I first experienced this dish at The Country Club Restaurant in the Wynn Hotel in Las Vegas. It was so unique that I asked for the recipe and to my delight the chef shared it! There are some differences in my preparation, but the flavor is the same!
If you love a chilled soup in the summer, here are some other choices:
Watermelon Gazpacho with Crab Avocado Salad
Ingredients
Watermelon Gazpacho
- 6 cups watermelon, rind removed and cut in chunks
- ½ cup roasted red peppers, seeded and rinsed
- 1 cucumber, peeled, or 2 Persian cucumbers, peeled
- 3 Tablespoons fresh lime juice, divided use
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup grenadine, grenadine is very sweet so taste the soup first then add a couple tablespoons at a time to your preference
- ½ cup rum, optional (my daughter said she preferred it without the rum)
- 3 dashes hot pepper sauce, such as Tabasco, or more, to your taste
- Kosher salt, to taste
Crab Salad
- 2 ripe avocados
- ½ cup chopped cilantro leaves
- ¾ pound jumbo lump crabmeat, the Chicken of the Sea crabmeat from Costco is a Gr8 choice
- 1-2 teaspoons black sesame seeds, as needed for the garnish
Instructions
Watermelon Gazpacho
- In a blender purée the watermelon, peppers and cucumber.
- Add 2 Tablespoons of the lime juice, grenadine, rum, pepper sauce and salt. Blend until smooth. (I did this in two batches.)
- Taste and adjust the seasonings.
- Refrigerate if not serving immediately.
Crab Salad
- Cut the avocados in chunks, and mix with the remaining Tablespoon of lime juice, half of the cilantro, salt and pepper.
- Place a small ring mold in the center of a shallow soup bowl.
- Press some of the avocado mix into the ring mold, about halfway up.
- Then top with the lump crab meat; pack it in, to get a good portion and to keep it together when removing the mold.
- Remove the mold carefully.
- Carefully ladle the gazpacho around the crab salad.
- Sprinkle the black sesame seeds over the gazpacho. This will look like watermelon seeds!
- Garnish with a sprig of cilantro.
It is a fun dish to serve. We love having you as a GR8 Friend!
This looks like a great treat!! I look forward to other ideas you have for using small molds. Thanks Anna!!