We wait for them all year, and they are well worth the patience.
It’s a pleasure indeed when we pick up that first heavy cantaloupe of the season! They always feel twice as heavy as they should be, and a little whiff at the stem end gives you a preview of what is to come.
A soup is forecast
My husband spied them at the farmers market first. He looked at me and said “I think there will be melon soup this weekend,” and he was right. Not only was there a large display of these gems, a quick look at the farmer’s truck and we knew the rain clouds of July had at least one silver lining, a bumper crop of cantaloupes, some bigger than my head!
Cantaloupe or Muskmelon?
Cantaloupes are a muskmelon and member of the gourd family, but not all muskmelons are cantaloupes. Other muskmelons include honeydew and Persian melons. Cantaloupes are a nutritional powerhouse, full of antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals, particularly Vitamins C, A, K, and Bs, and excellent source of potassium, folate, niacin, magnesium, and thiamine. Low in calories and high in fiber, they tick a lot of the nutritional boxes. A cup has just 60 calories and 14 carbs. Cantaloupes are said to support eye health, protect against cancer, and lower blood pressure. Plus, they are pretty darn tasty.
Don’t toss the seeds!
In addition to all this nutrition, the seeds are also edible and quite nutritious, little fiber bombs!
When in season, eat your fill
I purchased two massive melons and turned one into soup, the other we snacked on all weekend, and delicious it all was.
Some for us, some for the kids
Make this soup with or without the wine. If I’m serving it to kids, I substitute a little orange juice to make the simple syrup. For adults, the wine version is quite tasty and refreshing and not quite as sweet. Always adjust the sweetener to your own liking.
For a special treat, chop up your cantaloupe and freeze the chunks. Once frozen, pop them in the food processor and whirl away until you have a slushy. One-ingredient, very refreshing recipe we all love.
Summer Cantaloupe Soup
- 1 large cantaloupe the size of your head, to make one quart purée
- Juice and zest of one lemon
- Pinch of sea salt
- 1 cup dry white wine
- ¼ cup native honey
- 1” knob ginger root, bruised
- To garnish: dash of curry powder, melon balls, a few blueberries
Scrub the outside of the cantaloupe well with mild soap and a brush. The ribbed texture can harbor bacteria. Rinse. Cut the melon in half and remove the seeds, then quarter and peel. A perfectly ripe melon will have a thinner proportion of skin to flesh. Chop the melon roughly then place in a food processor with the salt. You will need 1 quart of the purée for this recipe. Chill.
In a small saucepan, place the wine, the ginger, and the honey. Bring it just to a simmer, then remove from the heat and let it cool to room temperature. Remove the ginger.
Add the syrup to the melon purée and refrigerate for at least an hour.
Serve in chilled dishes, and garnish with a shake of curry powder and any other embellishments you’d like. Add some melon balls and blueberries, perhaps a dollop of crème fraiche or Greek yoghurt. Drizzle a bit more honey, or top with some toasted melon seeds, below.
Toasted Cantaloupe Seeds
- Seeds from your melon
- A spritz of olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Boil the seeds for 15 minutes to soften, then pat dry. The seeds are very fibrous, which is good from a health standpoint, but bad if you are trying to chew them, thus the need for the initial boiling.
Place on parchment lined baking sheet and spritz with the oil, then season. You can add other spices if you like, Chinese five-spice is delicious here.
Roast at 350 for 15 minutes or so, until just starting to color.
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I must admit I’ve never had this dish, but I love the ingredients so I’m positive it’s delicious. It’s pretty too. 🙂
Thanks Judy! Its really refreshing, and totally delicious. And a chilled summer soup has to be about the pretty too!
Cantaloupe always brings a smile to my face! 🧡🍃
They should be the high summer icon!
Fabulous! 🧡🌿
💕🩷💕🍈
We have been waiting for weeks for these babies to appear at the farmer’s market. This looks like a delicious soup and I love the recipe for the seeds.
It’s always a long wait this time of year, and when the melons start coming, they come with a flourish!
This is something new for me. Looks lovely!
Thanks N.! It’s really refreshing on a hot day.
The cantaloupe soup looks amazing, and I would never think to roast the seeds – thank you!
Thank you! The seeds actually have tons of fiber and other nutrients! I’m always looking for ways to use those things that end up in the compost bin.
Yay, cantaloupes! That soup looks oh so good. I never thought about roasting the seeds. I bet they are yummy.
Thanks Laurie! The seeds add a nice crunch!
This looks scrumptious! I can’t wait to try it on a warm summer evening.
That would be perfect Silvia! I’ll be over…
I love cantaloupe and what wonderful ways to enjoy it! I love the idea of toasting the seeds!
Thanks Jenna! It’s a lovely start to a summer supper.
I love your refreshing cantaloupe soup! I never thought of roasting the seeds, what a clever idea!
Thank you Jan! You know I’m always looking to save something from the compost!
A new recipe to try. looks delicious.
Delicious and really easy Jovina! Love making this one.
I have had cantaloupe soup at a fancy bistro in Cleveland, Ohio. It was delicious! Such a pretty presentation, my friend. And I will be roasting my seeds soon!
Thank you once again for your inspiration!
Thank you Nancy! When you dress it up special, it certainly looks and tastes like a bistro dish!
Not a soup I have ever eaten or thought of making although reading the list of ingredients they are everything I like 🙂
i’m sure you’d love this one Carol! It is not too sweet and with that lovely unique flavor of this melon.
How creative! I’ve never thought to use melon seeds, this is very clever, and also I’ve never had melon soup, can you believe it! This might have to be rectified!
I think you need to rectify that as soon as possible! You can do this with honeydew as well, but might not need any honey at all!
Those seeds look scrumptious! Summer cantaloupes were always on the table growing up!
They have such a full and wonderful flavor when they are fresh. I’m usually disappointed if I buy them in winter shipped from somewhere else.
Oh my gosh is that not perfect for right now when it is so hot! 😳 I feel like I could almost dive into it!
Thanks Mollie! It’s very refreshing, and makes a lot too!
I have never seen these locally. I wonder if any farmers grow them around here. I will now be on the lookout for sure.
We see them for about three weeks, four tops. The local watermelons will be next!
So refreshing and fragrant. Perfect for a hot day! 😉
Thanks Ronit! It really is a perfect hot summer’s day soup!
Very nice. Looks great
Thank you Charlie!
Yum!! This soup looks amazing. And I absolutely love your vintage bowls!
Thank you! The pink glass desserts were my grandmother’s.
I’ve made a version of this soup before. It’s delicious. I grew up calling it canteloupe but here in QLD it’s called rockmelon so I roll with that 🙂
Haven’t heart it called that, but I’ll file that one away for future reference!
What a refreshing summer soup! And I love the idea of toasting the cantalope seeds–I didn’t reaalize they were so nutritious!
Thanks Nancy! The seeds have even more nutrition than the flesh!
While I’m honestly not a big cantaloupe fan, you had me at “wine” 🤣🍷
It definitely makes it special!
A cantaloupe as big as your head..HAHAHA! Yep, I’ve seen them here, too. Love fresh melon in the summer, and your ingredients really dress it up for this elegant chilled soup. What variety of white wine did you use?
I used a dry Sauvignon blanc, a New Zealand with lots of flavor!
This is new for me but sounds absolutely perfect for a hot summer day 😋
Thank you! It is most refreshing!
Cantaloupe is my favorite melon but I have never tried it as a soup. I also didn’t know you could eat the seeds!
It’s my favorite melon too because it is not so sweet as the others. Love the unique flavor.
Yum! I’ve been saving and replanting my cantaloupe seeds but my growing season never seems long enough to produce seeds. I’m going to try your roasted seeds next time.
They are tricky indeed, and they do need heat!