Chilled Spicy Cantaloupe Soup with Jicama Cucumber Salsa

Note: Some of the same ingredients are going to be chopped for the soup and are going to be diced to make the salsa.

For the soup:
Peel and seed the cantaloupe, reserve ⅛ of it for the salsa. Rough chop the remainder and add it in to large mixing bowl.

Peel and seed the cucumber and reserve ¼ for the salsa. Rough chop the remainder and add it into the mixing bowl.

Reserve ¼ of the red onion for salsa. Chop the remaining onion and add it into the mixing bowl.

I removed the seeds and membrane in the jalapeno but if you like it really spicy you can leave them in. Half of the jalapeno is used for the soup (finely chop it and put it into the mixing bowl) and the other half is reserved for salsa.

Add the zest of 1 lime and the juice of 2 limes. Add a pinch of salt. Next you are going to blend the contents of the bowl until very smooth. This will take 2-3 batches, blending each batch in a blender then transferring to a clean bowl while you finish blending the other batches. When done cover with plastic wrap. Put the bowl into the refrigerator and allow it to chill for at least an hour to let the flavors develop.

For the salsa
Try to dice everything in a uniform size, the goal should be a ¼ inch square. Dice the cantaloupe, cucumber, red onion and jalapeno that was reserved from making the soup and add it into a medium sized bowl. Add the diced jicama into the bowl. Finish with fresh cilantro and mint and gently fold everything together until combined. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. The salsa is better made the same day.

Assembly:
Let soup stand at room temperature for about twenty minutes before serving, you want the temperature cool but not ice cold. Check for seasoning.

In the bottom of each soup bowl mound salsa in center. Stir soup well (it does separate) and ladle soup into the bowl, being careful not to pour over the salsa. Garnish with cilantro leaves or with scallion oil.

Tip: It’s always nice to have the bowls and spoons chilled before serving.