Savory chilled melon soup with crunchy baked ham bits in it: this is a great lunch idea to try out at home! Especially now that the weather is extremely hot…
I was in La Laguna about 2 weeks ago.
In the evening for dinner we chose to go check out La Comarca, the new number 1 restaurant in town according to TripAdvisor.
And a chilled melon soup was one of the appetizers on the menu, with bits of crunchy oven dried serrano ham sprinkled on top.
La Comarca, Tenerife
It was absolutely delicious.
So I thought it would make a great lunch idea to try at home.
Especially now that the weather is so extremely hot and humid around here in Spain.
Easy Chilled Melon Soup with Crunchy Ham
I used a ripe green piel de sapo melon for my recipe.
But any other melon will taste great here, even watermelon and cantaloup.
Just make sure that it is ripe and juicy to get as much flavor as possible in this soup.
Depending on what cream you are using, the cream might start to kind of curdle after you blend the melon soup. You will very clearly see white cream specks in the melon soup.
If that happens: don’t panic.
That is also what happened to me the very first time that I made it.
Just pour the melon soup in a medium saucepan and then warm it through over low heat.
Curdled Cream
Don’t let the melon soup boil or it will loose lots of flavor and its sweet taste.
Keep whisking the soup over low heat until the cream specks has dissolved into the melon soup.
Then immediately put the soup in the fridge to chill.
Do you love chilled soups like this one?
Then you should also check out 2 of my other Spanish cold soups: a cold salmorejo with tomatoes and vinegar and an ajo blanco with almonds and grapes!
Enjoy!
Easy Chilled Melon Soup with Crunchy Ham Recipe
Chilled melon soup with crunchy baked ham bits: a great lunch idea to try at home! Especially now that the weather is extremely hot...
- 1 ½ lbs honeydew melon (675 g)
- 2 oz serrano ham or prosciutto slices (55 g)
- 1 tbsp cream or yogurt
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 6 sprigs fresh parsley roughly chopped
- pepper
- salt
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Peel the melon and remove the seeds. Chop the melon up into smaller bits and add them to a blender (keep one chunk aside and dice it up for garnish).
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Puree the melon. Then add the cream or yogurt, the parsley and the olive oil. Season with a pinch of pepper and salt.
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Blend the melon soup again. Check the seasoning and add extra pepper or salt to taste if necessary. Chill the soup in the fridge for now. In the meantime bake the ham. Place the ham slices on some parchment paper. Cover with another sheet of parchment paper.
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Put the ham on an oven rack and bake it in a preheated oven at 256°F (180°C) for 15 to 20 minutes until crisp. Remove the ham and let it cool down fully. Pour the melon soup into large bowls and garnish with crumbled baked ham. Finish with a sprinkle of olive oil, finely diced melon and fresh parsley. Serve cold.
