Cold Cucumber Soup Recipe by Barefoot Contessa
This chilled cucumber soup is made by mixing Greek yogurt with avocado, cucumber, dill, and lemon juice and then topping it off with roasted shrimp. It is an easy to make appetizer that you can serve during the warmer months.
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients
For the Cold Cucumber Soup:
- 2 cups whole milk Greek yogurt
- 1 ripe avocado halved and cut into cubes
- 1/2 cup half and half
- 1 English cucumber unpeeled* (or half-peeled), cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1/4 cup red onion chopped
- 3 cloves of garlic minced
- 4 scallions both white and green parts, chopped
- 1/3 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice approximately from 2 lemons
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt*
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
For The Shrimp Topping:
- 1/2 pound large shrimp 16/21, deveined and peeled – pat dry with paper towels
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
As Garnish:
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill for garnish
- Pinch of crushed red pepper optional
- Coarse salt to finish it off
Instructions
- Puree: Place yogurt, avocado, half and half, cucumber, red onion, garlic, scallions, lemon juice, salt and black pepper in the bowl of a food processor. Process until cucumbers are coarsely pureed. Taste for seasoning and add more, if necessary.
- Chill: Transfer to a large bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and allow it to marinate for at least one hour* in the fridge.
- Cook shrimp: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Place shrimp onto a baking sheet in one even layer. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast for 5-7 minutes, making sure to turn once during cooking.
- Serve: When ready to serve, ladle the chilled soup into bowls. Top off with a few pieces of shrimp, fresh dill, lemon slices, and crushed red pepper, if using. Finish it off with a pinch of coarse sea salt & serve!
Notes
- This recipe serves 6 appetizer portions and 4 main dish portions.
- Taste before serving: The salt amount used might look like a lot but it is not a typo. This cucumber soup needs a lot of seasoning. If you want to use less, you can start with 1 teaspoon and decide whether you want to add more after giving it a taste.
- Peeling cucumber: It is best to taste your cucumber with the peel-on to ensure that it does not taste bitter. If it tastes bitter, it is best to peel the cucumber before adding it to the food processor.
- Make it ahead: You can make the soup portion of this recipe a day ahead. However, I would recommend roasting the shrimp right before serving. And be sure to whisk to soup well before garnishing and serving.
- Puree until your desired consistency is reached. If you prefer a smoother texture, puree longer and vice versa.
- Not a fan of dill? You can use other fresh herbs like fresh Italian parsley or mint. Or, for a milder dill flavor, feel free to use dried dill.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 271kcal | Carbohydrates: 16g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 1516mg | Potassium: 619mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 7g | Vitamin A: 402IU | Vitamin C: 19mg | Calcium: 181mg | Iron: 1mg
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