Make Robert Sisca’s Melon Gazpacho

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You can taste the summer sunshine in every bowl of this bright, beautiful Melon Gazpacho from chef Robert Sisca. The talented chef just opened the seafood-focused The Banks Fish House in the Back Bay with his partners at Himmel Hospitality (they also own Bistro du Midi, Grill 23 & Harvest), but this recipe shows off his skills with fruits and veggies — and little tiny dollop of seafood for garnish! And the best part is, you don’t have to turn on the stove or light the grill so you can give it a whirl whenever the next heatwave rolls around.

Details

Servings: 4

Ingredients

For the soup
  • 1 cantaloupe, peeled and seeded
  • 1/2 honeydew melon, peeled and seeded
  • 2 cups green grapes
  • 2 tablespoons verjus
  • 4 tablespoons sherry vinegar
  • water to taste
  • salt and pepper to taste
For the garnish
  • 1 baby fennel, sliced
  • 1/2 cup green grapes, sliced
  • 1/4 cup cantaloupe, diced
  • 1/4 bunch chives, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/4 pound Jonah crab, cooked and cleaned
  • sherry vinegar to taste
  • espelette chili powder to taste

Directions

For the soup
  1. Puree the cantaloupe and honeydew melons in a blender with the grapes, verjus and sherry vinegar.
  2. Season with salt and pepper. If the melon is very ripe, you may need to add more water to thin out the soup. The amount of sherry vinegar can also vary depending on the melons’ ripeness.
For the garnish
  1. While preparing the other ingredients, place the slices of fennel in ice water to crisp.
  2. Put the sliced grapes in a mixing bowl with the crisped fennel, diced cantaloupe and crab.
  3. Season with the olive oil, salt, pepper, espelette, chives and sherry vinegar.
  4. Place a little bit of the garnish in the middle of a bowl and ladle the soup around it to serve.

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