This Gazpacho Recipe with Cantaloupe and Sweet Corn is SO refreshing on hot summer days! The beautiful bright hue of the cantaloupe and it’s subtle sweetness perfectly balances this cool, savory soup.
I have a special place in my heart reserved just for gazpacho. Maybe it’s the silky smooth texture, or the cool refreshing feeling as it glides over my tongue on a hot summer’s evening, or the fact that it whips up in a blender in mere seconds. But it requires just a few minutes over the oven to sauté the sweet corn and shallots, which is highly convenient in the summertime.
With temperatures rising, and produce stands filling their bins with cantaloupe, yellow tomatoes and sweetcorn at their peak of ripeness, I’m making this recipe as much as I can. If it’s warm where you are, try it ASAP!
And a heads up, this recipe makes a lot of melon gazpacho.
It gets better as it chills, so I keep it in the fridge for quick lunches all week.
Jump to:
- What’s in this Gazpacho Recipe with Cantaloupe and Sweetcorn?
- Ingredients
- How to Make Cantaloupe and Sweet Corn Gazpacho
- Important Finishing Touches
- Serving Suggestions
- Related Recipes
- How to Store Gazpacho and How Long Does it Keep?
- Do You Have A Favorite Gazpacho Recipe?
- Gazpacho Recipe with Cantaloupe and Sweet Corn
- Did You Make This Recipe?
What’s in this Gazpacho Recipe with Cantaloupe and Sweetcorn?
In Spanish cookbooks you will find gazpacho in the salad section. The classic gazpacho is the Spanish version of V8 Juice. Loaded with a mix of different summer vegetables like tomato, green pepper, cucumber, along with garlic and a red wine vinegar, it is thickened with breadcrumbs.
But the best thing about gazpacho? Its versatility.
There are so many things you can do to customize your gazpacho!
Cantaloupe, sweet corn, watermelon, blackberry … the list goes on. But my favorite has to be this simple gazpacho recipe with cantaloupe and sweetcorn. It packs all of the goodness of the classic, along with the subtle and refreshing sweetness of cantaloupe.
Ingredients
- 3 corn ears
- 2 yellow tomatoes – I am partial to the yellow or orange heirloom tomatoes. Feel free to substitute with red tomatoes. Please make sure to core and seed the tomatoes. You can leave the skins on as we will use a blender to pulverize the ingredients and a sieve to make sure no big sheets of skin sneak onto the spoon.
- Shallots – I find myself stymied when a recipe calls for 3 shallots. Does this mean 3 bulbs or 3 cloves? For this recipe, I use 3 individual shallot cloves.
- Half of a yellow or orange pepper.
- 1 small cantaloupe (around 4 – 5 cups of chopped cantaloupe).
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Avocado oil – Use this to sauté the sweetcorn and shallots. You could use olive oil as a substitute.
- Half a Jalapeño (optional) – this will add some spice but leave it out if you’re not into spicier dishes.
- Lime juice to taste
How to Make Cantaloupe and Sweet Corn Gazpacho
I was first introduced to melon and sweetcorn gazpacho at Spoon and Stable, a restaurant in Minneapolis by Gavin Kaysen, a James Beard Award winner for Best Midwest Chef. It might seem like an odd concept, but here’s the thing – when everything is mixed together, the soup has the perfect balance of sweet and savory. The final dish is bright in hue, silky, and complex – not too sweet at all.
Add half a jalapeño, but you can leave that out if you’re not into spicy things
Check out this video for a step-by-step tutorial on how to make this Gazpacho Recipe with Cantaloupe and Sweet Corn!
To make this recipe, remove kernels from the ear of the corn. Stand the cob upright inside a bowl, then slice down along sides of cob using a sharp knife.
Now we move to the stovetop, add corn kernels, chopped shallots and avocado oil to a small sauce pan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Make sure to season the mixture with salt and pepper.
You will continue to sauté this mixture until the shallots are translucent and the corn begins to “pop”. Remove from heat and let the corn mixture cool for 5 minutes
Combine the cooled sweetcorn mixture, cubed cantaloupe, chopped tomatoes, bell pepper to a large bowl. Toss with olive oil, season with salt then fill the blender half full with the vegetable and fruit mixture.
The ingredients should blend easily if they don’t add 2 tablespoons of water and blend. Continue to add 2 Tablespoons at a time until everything turns in the machine.
I pour the soup through a fine mesh sieve – this is key to achieve a silky and creamy texture – without adding cream!
Use a ladle or spatula to push the liquid through and leave the pulp in the sieve or strainer. Of course, you can skip straining the mixture and enjoy a chunkier version of this gazpacho.
Chill for at least 3 hours, or overnight, to allow the flavors to develop. Garnish and enjoy.
Important Finishing Touches
Avoid the Mistake of Not Seasoning the Soup
Cold soups require a surprising amount of seasoning, even more than hot soups. That means more salt, yes, but also more acid (think lime juice) and heat (like chiles).
Taste, season, chill, and then—this is key—taste and re-season after it's chilled. You'll be floored by how much the flavors become muted after a rest in the fridge.
Serve it Cold
The best things in life are worth waiting for. Although it might be tempting to dip your spoon in right after blending the gazpacho, it needs a few hours in the fridge to mellow and let the flavors really mesh.
Not only will that let the taste improve over time, it will allow the gazpacho to properly chill.
Add Toppings
Yes, a good gazpacho is all about the puréed veggies or fruits. But it really shines with some thoughtful toppings.
Finely diced vegetables and fruits, a swirl of olive or flavored oil, chopped herbs like mint, a sprinkle of toasted seeds, it'll add some texture.
Just be sure to add the toppings right before serving. Incorporate them too soon, and the crispy and crunchy bits will become soggy. Enjoy!
Serving Suggestions
When you’re ready to eat, top the chilled soup with garnishes. I love to add extra chopped veggies and mint.
Enjoy this melon gazpacho on its own with good crusty bread, or pair it with a salad or make your favorite version of a BLT sandwich for a larger meal.
It would be fantastic with any of these recipes:
Related Recipes
Looking for another gazpacho recipe? Try this one:
How to Store Gazpacho and How Long Does it Keep?
Gazpacho will lose it’s fresh taste long before it turns “bad”. But, if kept in a cold refrigerator Gazpacho can be stored for 4-5 days.
Be sure to store in an airtight container.
A loss of sweetness and increased acidity (from lactic acid bacteria) are sure signs it has turned. If it actually looks bad, it likely will smell terrible. Either way, I’d just use a sniff test and a taste test to decide.
Do You Have A Favorite Gazpacho Recipe?
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Gazpacho Recipe with Cantaloupe and Sweet Corn
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 corn ears, husks removed and kernels cut from cob
- 2 shallot cloves, peeled and roughly chopped
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- ½ yellow bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed, roughly chopped; plus 2 Tablespoons finely diced and reserved for garnish
- 1 small cantaloupe skin and seeds removed, roughly chopped; plus 2 tablespoons finely diced and reserved for garnish
- 2 red or yellow tomatoes core and seeds removed, roughly chopped; plus 2 tablespoons finely diced and reserved for garnish or thinly slice cherry tomatoes.
- ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 Fresno or red jalapeño, pepper, core and seeds removed, small dice (optional)
- 2 Teaspoons chopped fresh cilantro or mint, (optional)
- Lime juice to taste
Instructions
- In a small Dutch oven or skillet, cook the shallots and corn kernels in avocado oil over medium heat. Add ½ teaspoon of salt, ¼ teaspoon fresh ground pepper and stir frequently until the corn has softened and the shallots are translucent. If the corn begins popping – remove from heat. Once done, remove from the pot and chill down for about 5 minutes or you can chill completely in the refrigerator.
- In a large bowl, combine the roughly chopped vegetables and fruit. This is a reminder to reserve 2 Tablespoons each of the melon, tomato, and peppers for garnish.Add the cooked corn and shallot mixture, along with the jalapeno, if desired, to the large bowl and toss with 2 Tablespoons of olive oil. Season with salt.You can actually prepare the vegetable and fruit mixture up to 2 days in advance.
- To process the soup, combine the mixed vegetables and fruit in a blender. Please do not fill the blender more than half full; we want to “pulverize” the fruits and vegetables. You will need to break the process into a couple of batches.Starting with the setting on low, turn on the blender and increase the speed to high. All the ingredients should blend easily. If they don’t, add 2 Tablespoons of olive oil and 1 Tablespoon of water at a time until everything turns in the machine.Continue to blend on high until the gazpacho is smooth. This may take 2-3 minutes. Just before turning the machine off, add 1 Tablespoon of olive oil and blend briefly until combined.
- Turn off the machine and strain the gazpacho through a fine mesh strainer. Use a ladle or spatula to push the liquid through and leave the pulp and tomato skins in the strainer. This will result in a silky and creamy texture.Note: If you are short on time or enjoy a chunkier version of this gazpacho, you can skip this step.
- Repeat steps 3 & 4 until all the vegetable and fruit mixture has been processed. Adjust the consistency with the remaining olive oil or water and season the gazpacho with salt and lime juice to your liking. See seasoning note below.
- Chill the soup in an airtight container in the refrigerator for at least 3 hours. Keep the cilantro or mint, reserved small, diced vegetables, and any remaining oil for garnish. See note below about serving the soup cold and adding toppings below
Video
Notes
Avoid the Mistake of Not Seasoning The Soup.
Cold soups require a surprising amount of seasoning, even more than hot soups. That means more salt, yes, but also more acid (think lime juice) and heat (like chiles). Taste, season, chill, and then—this is key—taste and re-season after it's chilled. You'll be floored by how much the flavors become muted after a rest in the fridge.Serve Cold.
Chill gazpacho at least 3 hours before serving – this is when the vegetable and fruit flavors really mesh.Don’t forget the toppings.
They will not only make the soup look appetizing but will add some needed texture. Make sure to add right before serving so they don’t lose their crispy, crunchiness. Store gazpacho in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days.Your Notes, Tips and Tricks
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did You Make This Recipe?
Please let me know how it turned out for you! Leave a comment below and share a picture on Instagram with the hashtag #ourtable42.
Looking through all the photos is a daily highlight!
Greg says
We had this soup with friends and loved it so much we made it a week later for our family. It was a huge hit and we all loved the different flavors in the soup. Between the corn, tomatoes and melon we all had different "first choice" flavors, but everyone wanted seconds.
Pam Werley says
This is definitely one of my favorite summer dishes! I am glad you liked it! I made it for as long as I can get a ripe melon and fresh corn.