Watermelon Gazpacho {+ a barcelona tapas crawl}

Watermelon gazpacho is a sweet and spicy cold soup perfect for those hot summer nights when the last thing you want to do is turn on the oven or stovetop. Pair it with a few slices of prosciutto or top it with some mini mozarella balls and call it dinner! 

There are three things that stick out most from my recent trip to Barcelona. One would be the Sagrada Familia. Before the trip, I hadn’t done much research (I like to keep expectations low!), and just figured it was like any other church I’d seen in Europe. Boy, was I wrong. This church is one of a kind. It’s still under construction yet it still managed to leave me awestruck.

Another favorite would be the Boqueria food market. Colorful and fresh juices, nuts, dried fruits, chocolates, saffron and other spices, all kinds of fish, wines, dried meats, yum. I even had a little tiff with a vendor in Spanish. It’s not a good enough story to explain, but I was proud that my Spanish skills came back in a time of need!

Last, but certainly not least, would be the daily tapas bar crawl. We picked a place, any place, grabbed a drink and ordered some tapas. Pintxos, paella, fried goodies, salty meats, patatas bravas, you name it! The options were endless and the prices matched our budgets.

We stumbled into one tapas place solely for a bathroom break, but the ambiance lured us in to stay for a drink. We had literally just eaten lunch so there was no need for more food, but the guys ordered anyways. This was more of a modern tapas bar, so the options were different than what we’d seen. This menu had watermelon gazpacho, which was quickly ordered. I don’t think I’d tasted gazpacho before this adventure, let alone watermelon gazpacho, but I knew it wouldn’t be the last time. 

It turns out, gazpacho is pretty much the easiest thing ever to make. So I made my own. I’m glad I did because there were some hot and humid days this summer where you couldn’t force me to touch the oven with a ten foot pole.

Literally, all you need is a knife, cutting board, blender, and the ingredients.

Throw them in. Blend it up.

Gazpacho! (if said in the right tone, it sounds like an exclamation of excitement!)

Watermelon Gazpacho

Watermelon gazpacho is a sweet and spicy cold soup perfect for those hot summer nights.

Serves 4

Total Time- 10 min

Ingredients

1. 2 cups // 300 grams watermelon, plus chunks for serving
2. ½-1 hot pepper, depending on spice preference
3. 1 large tomato, quartered
4. ½ cucumber, deseeded and cut into chunks
5. ¼ cup // 125 mL extra virgin olive oil
6. 1 teaspoon sherry or red wine vinegar
7. 6 mint leaves, and more for garnish
8. 1 small red onion, quarted
9. ½ red or yellow bell pepper, quartered

Instructions

1. Place all ingredients in a blender. Blend until smooth. If you like a smoother consistency, strain through a sieve. Garnish with small chunks of watermelon and a mint leaf.