Chilled Cucumber Soup With Avocado Toast

Name: Chilled Cucumber Soup With Avocado Toast
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 2 to 4 servings
Ingredients: 1 pound cucumbers, peeled, halved lengthwise and seeded; 2 cups buttermilk (or use 1 1/2 cups plain yogurt plus 1/4 cup water); 1 large garlic clove, peeled and smashed; 2 anchovy fillets (optional); 2 small whole scallions, trimmed; 1/2 jalapeño, seeded, deveined and chopped; 1/2 cup packed mixed fresh herbs (like mint, parsley, dill, tarragon, basil and cilantro); 1/2 teaspoon sherry or white wine vinegar, more to taste; 3/4 teaspoon kosher sea salt, plus more to taste; 4 slices baguette or other bread, toasted; 1 avocado, pitted, peeled and thinly sliced; 1/2 lemon; 2 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese; Extra-virgin olive oil, for serving; Freshly ground black pepper; 1 ear of corn, shucked, kernels sliced off; Fresh dill, for serving

By Melissa Clark

Total Time: 15 minutes
Rating: 5(1,783)
Comments: Read comments

A chilled cucumber soup, whirled together in the blender to serve as an instant dinner, is one of the quiet rewards of midsummer. The trick to making it hearty enough is to not stint on the seasonings, especially when something as mild as cucumber is the main ingredient. Garlic, plenty of herbs, jalapeño and anchovy add plenty of flavor, while buttermilk contributes a creamy, light texture. You could serve this with nothing more than some crusty or toasted bread on the side and be satisfied, but a topping of soft avocado dressed with a little lemon juice and feta cheese fills out the meal nicely. And the muted green colors of avocado toast and cucumber soup look as cooling as they taste.

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Ingredients

Yield:2 to 4 servings

1pound cucumbers, peeled, halved lengthwise and seeded
2cups buttermilk (or use 1½ cups plain yogurt plus ¼ cup water)
1large garlic clove, peeled and smashed
2anchovy fillets (optional)
2small whole scallions, trimmed
½jalapeño, seeded, deveined and chopped
½cup packed mixed fresh herbs (like mint, parsley, dill, tarragon, basil and cilantro)
½teaspoon sherry or white wine vinegar, more to taste
¾teaspoon kosher sea salt, plus more to taste
4slices baguette or other bread, toasted
1avocado, pitted, peeled and thinly sliced
½lemon
2tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
Extra-virgin olive oil, for serving
Freshly ground black pepper
1ear of corn, shucked, kernels sliced off
Fresh dill, for serving

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
In the bowl of a blender or food processor, combine cucumber, buttermilk, garlic, anchovy, scallions, jalapeño, fresh herbs, sherry vinegar and salt. Blend until smooth and adjust seasoning as needed.
Step 2
Smash avocado slices on the toasted bread. Sprinkle with crumbled feta, squeeze the juice of the lemon half over the top and finish each with a drizzle of olive oil and some pepper. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
Step 3
Distribute soup between 4 bowls and garnish with raw corn kernels and a drizzle of olive oil. Serve avocado toast on the side.

Ratings

5 out of 5

1,783 user ratings

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Comments

Stuart7 years ago

This was very delicious, refreshing and elegant. I skipped the toast but crumbled the feta, with the corn kernels, into the soup. Perfect. I kept pretty much to the recipe, otherwise. No single flavor stood out, which I think is how it should be. More vinegar or lots of lemon or more anchovy or whatever might threaten the delicate balance of this one. I rarely say that, but there's perfection here...

mdurphy7 years ago

This turned out to make a really complex spring soup, with a few spontaneous changes. First, I used a VitaMix to get a really smooth puree. Use twisty armenian cukes; 1 T of fish sauce, instead of anchovies; green garlic, instead of the garlic and scallions; lots of mint and lemon balm, by way of herbs; 5 or 6 whole kumquats and about 1 T lemon juice, instead of vinegar; puree the avocado with the soup; add salt and hot sauce at the end to taste. Garnish with chopped mint or basil and EVOO.

Shelley7 years ago

I have made this soup with and without the anchovies. i have found the soup has much more depth with the anchovies added...so I wouldn't leave them out.
This is an excellent warm weather lunch and sooo easy!

Michelle5 hours ago

will this freeze?

Rebecca2 days ago

I am confused! Why is that now that you have added advertising to the first page of a recipe, that the Preparation steps are now sometimes lost in the printing? I'm one of those that likes to print recipes so that I don't trash my I-Pad or phone when cooking. So now, lucky me, I get your ads when I'm PAYING for this subscription? I could understand if it was some Pinterest site or something, but I held (note past tense) NYT Cooking to a higher standard.

RCrabbe2 days ago

Oooof WAY too salty but otherwise delicious. I had to add another 2-3c of buttermilk to my 3x recipe. In the future, I’d half the salt for a more elegant flavor profile. But I wouldn’t change anything else. Herbs used: basil, dill, tarragon, and mint.

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