Cantaloupe And Mint Soup With Crab And Curry Oil
James Beard Award-winning chef and all-around food hero Hugh Acheson's new cookbook, The Broad Fork, is inspired by the questions asked at farmers' markets. Acheson demystifies varietals and underused veggies with in-depth analyses, seasonal recipes and other forms of fruit and vegetable-forward culinary encouragement. So why cantaloupe soup? Well, can you think of a better vehicle for succulent crabmeat?
Cantaloupe And Mint Soup With Crab And Curry Oil
Prep Time
40
minutes
Cook Time
10
minutes
Servings
6
Total time: 50 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 cantaloupe
- 1 tablespoon curry powder
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt
- 2 tablespoons champagne vinegar
- sea salt
- 2 teaspoons fresh mint leaves
- 1 pound jumbo lump crabmeat
Directions
- Cut a small disc from the top and bottom of the melon, at the poles. Place the melon, with one of the cut sides down, on a cutting board and, using a sharp knife, cut away the skin by following the shape of the melon. When all the skin has been removed, cut the melon in half, scoop out the seeds and discard them, and cut the melon into 1-inch chunks. Set aside.
- In a small saucepan, warm the curry powder with the olive oil over medium heat for 5 minutes, whisking to thoroughly combine. Remove the pan from the heat and allow the mixture to cool to room temperature.
- In a blender, combine the cantaloupe, yogurt, champagne vinegar, sea salt to taste, half the mint leaves, and ½ cup of water. Puree until the soup is smooth. (Work in batches if it all doesn’t fit in the blender comfortably.) Adjust the seasoning with salt if needed, and the consistency with more water if needed.
- Pour the soup into 6 bowls and divide the crab among the bowls, placing it in the middle of each. Garnish with the remaining mint leaves and a drizzle of the curry oil.