Spicy Tomato-and-Watermelon Gazpacho with Crab
Recipe from Food & Wine

The Lees created this gazpacho as a riff on a recipe from The Virginia Housewife, a seminal Southern cookbook first published in 1824 that is still in print. They sweeten the cold tomato soup with watermelon and make it fiery with habanero and poblano chiles.


Spicy Tomato-and-Watermelon Gazpacho with Crab
Fredrika Stjarne

not yet rated

read comments

add your rating
add a comment
Servings: 8
Prep Time: 45 mins
Total Time: 45 mins
Related Categories: Avocados, Crab, Fish and Seafood, Seasonal, Soup, Spanish Gazpacho, Summer, Tomatoes, Watermelons
 
savings in
change zip
 
Ingredients
  • 1 
    habanero chile, preferably red
    see savings
    On Sale
  • 4  cups
    seedless watermelon chunks (1 1/2 pounds)
    see savings
    On Sale
  • 1 
    large garlic clove, mashed to a paste
    see savings
    On Sale
  • 2  pounds
    tomatoes, cored
    see savings
    On Sale
  • 2  tablespoons
    red wine vinegar
    see savings
    On Sale
  •  
    Salt
    see savings
    On Sale
  • 1/4  cup
    freshly squeezed lemon juice
    see savings
    On Sale
  • 1/4  cup
    buttermilk
    see savings
    On Sale
  • 1/4  cup
    extra-virgin olive oil
    see savings
    On Sale
  • 1  pound
    jumbo lump crab, picked over
    see savings
    On Sale
  • 2 
    small Hass avocados, cut into 1/2-inch dice
    see savings
    On Sale
  • 1 
    large poblano, finely diced
    see savings
    On Sale
add ingredients to list

Directions
1.
Roast the habanero over a gas flame until lightly charred all over. Using a paper towel, rub off as much skin as possible. Remove the stem and seeds and transfer the chile to a blender. Add the watermelon and garlic and puree; transfer to a bowl and refrigerate.
2.
Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil and fill a bowl with ice water. Score the tomato bottoms with an X. Add the tomatoes to the boiling water and blanch for 10 seconds to loosen their skins. Transfer the tomatoes to the ice water to cool.
3.
Peel the tomatoes and halve them crosswise. Working over a sieve set in a bowl, pry out the seeds. Press on the seeds to extract the juice, then discard them. Transfer the tomatoes and their juices to the blender and puree. Stir the tomato puree into the watermelon puree along with the vinegar and season the gazpacho with salt.
4.
In a medium bowl, whisk the lemon juice with the buttermilk and olive oil and season with salt. Fold in the crab, avocado, and poblano. Ladle the soup into bowls, mound the crab salad in the center, and serve.

MAKE AHEAD
The gazpacho can be prepared through Step 3 and refrigerated for up to 2 days.
Add Your Review
Related Recipe
She-Crab Soup
She-Crab Soup

This classic cream soup is a favorite in South Carolina. You'll love the rich flavors in this crabmeat and vegetable meal.

 Articles
Crab-Cake Burgers: 30-Minute Meal
...Order crab cakes at many restaurants and you get what could more likely be called a bread cake.... There's more breading and other fillers than there is actual crabmeat. And the crab cakes are typically... the crab cake burger you cook yourself, a hearty patty packed with crab, moist with mayonnaise... read more...
More Great Recipe Ideas from Food & Wine