Roasting intensifies the sweet summer melon flavor in this melon soup, which is then chilled to serve cold on a hot day. So refreshing!
This melon soup recipe comes from the amazing Kate Hill, whose cooking classes in Gascony, France are legendary. I had the pleasure of joining her in her Camont farmhouse kitchen for several days in June, where she introduced me to some absolutely delicious Gascon recipes. One day, we found beautiful, fragrant melons in the farmers' market, and Kate transformed them into this delicious summer soup. I know you'll love it as much as I did.
Table of Contents
Why Make This Recipe
- Great Balance of Flavors: Sweet melon contrasts with lemon zest and balsamic vinegar, along with a pinch of spicy piment d’espelette.
- Delicious Summer Soup: Soup is great in the summer too, especially when it uses summer produce and is served chilled.
- Perfect Appetizer: I’m happy to eat a bowl of this for lunch, but also love serving this soup in espresso cups for a light first course.
🥗 Ingredients
- Dry Vermouth: You may know this ingredient only as part of a martini cocktail, but it is used often in French cuisine as well. Try replacing with dry sherry if you don’t have vermouth, and adjust the amount depending on taste.
- Piment d’Espelette: Piment d’Espelette is a French chili pepper, grown mostly in the Basque region of France. You can substitute a mild chili powder or paprika (smoked or plain). And, if you find you love piment d’espelette, try it in this Arugula Salad with Apples recipe, where I use it with candied pepitas.
- Balsamic Vinegar: The balsamic vinegar in this melon soup adds a touch of sour to balance the sweetness of the melon, but aged or reduced balsamic vinegars can add another layer of sweetness too. Both are delicious, but you could also serve this without the vinegar and still have a delicious soup!
🥣 Step-by-Step Instructions
Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius/400 degrees Fahrenheit. Wash cantaloupe well, then use a sharp knife to peel cantaloupe completely, taking off all rind and any bits of green flesh.
Cut melon in half. Scoop out and discard seeds. Chop cantaloupe into 1-2 inch-sized pieces. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper, and spread out the melon pieces in a single layer.
Roast for 15-20 minutes until melon is soft and just beginning to brown. Pour into large bowl, along with any syrup on the sheet pan, and use an immersion blender to purée.
Stir in olive oil and vermouth, and season to taste with salt (about ½ teaspoon).
Chill until cold. To serve, sprinkle with lemon zest and piment d’espelette, then drizzle with balsamic vinegar.
🧐 Recipe FAQs
This melon soup will keep for 2-3 days in the refrigerator. Wait until serving to add the lemon zest, piment d’espelette, and balsamic vinegar.
This soup is a great choice for make-ahead because it needs to be chilled before serving. Make it up to 2 days in advance and keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator. That said, wait to grate the lemon zest until not long before serving, as it will dry out if you make it too far in advance.
There is no dairy in this soup, so it should freeze easily. However, you may find that the texture changes after you have frozen and then defrosted it—another whirr with the immersion blender should bring it back to life.
👩🍳 Expert Tips
Make sure to wash your melon very well before peeling it—because cantaloupes grow on the ground, they can come into contact with bacteria that can make you sick. If you don’t wash them first, your knife can transfer the germs through the rind and straight into the flesh.
I love the ease of using an immersion blender for this recipe, because you don’t have to wait until the melon cools down before blending. However, you can absolutely use a regular blender instead. Just wait until the melon is warm before blending as hot blender contents can pop off the blender cap and potentially burn someone (or just make a huge mess!).
Don’t want to make soup? You can replicate some of these flavors by simply slicing your cantaloupe and serving drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with piment d’espelette. Or, try pairing melon with anchovies or with chorizo, for something a little a different. Of course, melon wrapped with prosciutto is a classic too!
Love veggie-forward and fruit-forward soups? Try our Spiced Carrot and Lentil Soup, our Vegan Potato Leek Soup, and our Pumpkin Soup without Cream! And don't miss another French vegetable soup classic, this Soupe au Pistou.
Other Summer Recipes
Do you love summer produce as much as I do? You may want to check out my Summer Recipes Archive for all of my summer recipes. Or, just check out some of my favorites:
If you try this melon soup recipe, I would love to hear from you! Leave a comment below—I read them all, and your feedback is invaluable to me. And please follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook or subscribe to my newsletter. I'd love to inspire you with more delicious, healthy, and seasonal recipes!
📖 Recipe
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Melon Soup (Soupe de Melon)
Ingredients
- 1 cantaloupe melon
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons dry vermouth
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- ½ teaspoon piment d’espelette
- 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 200 degrees Celsius/400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Wash cantaloupe well, then use a sharp knife to peel cantaloupe completely, taking off all rind and any bits of green flesh.
- Cut melon in half.
- Scoop out and discard seeds.
- Chop cantaloupe into 1–2 inch-sized pieces.
- Line a sheet pan with parchment paper, and spread out the melon pieces in a single layer.
- Roast for 15-20 minutes until melon is soft and just beginning to brown.
- Pour into large bowl, along with any syrup on the sheet pan, and use an immersion blender to purée.
- Stir in olive oil and vermouth, and season to taste with salt (about ½ teaspoon).
- Chill until cold.
- To serve, sprinkle with lemon zest and piment d’espelette, then drizzle with balsamic vinegar.
Notes
Nutrition
Instagram Users: Now that you've made this recipe, tag me @vanillabeancuisine or #vanillabeancuisine because I'd love to see your results!
Heidi | The Frugal Girls says
Your cold soup is such a treat for the taste buds... and it's such a fun way to better take advantage of summer melons!
Chef Molly says
Yes, I love this soup because it really shows of the flavor of summer melons!
Josiah - DIY Thrill says
This melon soup looks so savory and delicious! 😋
Chef Molly says
Thanks Josiah! It really is tasty, and perfect for summer melons!