Chilled Cucumber Soup with Watercress (Recipe)

4 bowls filled with chilled cucumber soup topped with a relish of grilled corn, tomatoes, dill and a sprinkling of chile flakes.

4.98 from 37 votes

Chilled Cucumber Soup with Watercress (Recipe)

This chilled cucumber soup hits the spot on a hot summer day for lunch or a starter for a dinner party. It includes yogurt and buttermilk for a little tang. And there's fresh watercress, scallions, avocado and a little jalapeño. Add a little optional summer salsa of tomatoes, avocado, cilantro and white onion for a finishing touch, if you want.

Make this ahead, and chill for at least 30 minutes, but ideally the day before you serve it. The extra chill time allows the flavors to develop.

Prep Time20

chill time in the refrigerator30

Total Time50

Course: Soup

Cuisine: Any

Keyword: cucumber soup, cucumber soup with watercress

Servings:

Calories: 120kcal

Author: Susan Pridmore

Equipment

Vegetable peeler
Chef's knife
countertop blender

Ingredients

Soup

4 cups English cucumbers about 1 ½ cucumbers
¼ cup chopped scallions about 2 scallions, including the dark green parts
½ cup coarsely chopped watercress
1 tablespoon lemon juice
¾ cup plain full-fat Greek yogurt
¾ cup buttermilk
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon chopped jalapeño
½ avocado
1 teaspoon fresh dill
½ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon dried chile flakes, such as New Mexico Caribe Chile Flakes or Pequin Crushed Dried Chiles

Salsa

⅛ Roma tomato seeded and finely chopped
2 tablespoons fresh raw or grilled corn
½ teaspoon fresh dill
⅛ teaspoon dried chile flakes see above links for examples
squeeze lime juice

Instructions

Soup

Prep the veggies. Peel the cucumbers, and coarsely chop. Chop the scallions and watercress. Coarsely chop the jalapeño.
Purée. Pile everything into a countertop powerful blender. Buzz it until you have a smooth purée.
Chill. Pour the soup into a container, and chill in the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes. Chilling overnight is even better - the extra time allows the flavors to meld and develop.
Prep the salsa (if using). Seed and dice the Roma tomato. Coarsely chop the cilantro. Mince the white onion and jalapeño pepper. Chop the avocado.
Serve: Adjust the seasoning of the soup to your tastes, for example a little more lemon or salt. Serve with the garnishes on the soup or on the side.

Salsa

Mix the tomato, corn, fresh dill together and toss with lime juice. Serve on the side or a dollop on top of the soup, along with some chile flakes.

Nutrition