Cold soup and hot shrimp—this is a fantastic combination on a warm night. Blending the honeyed sweetness of this summer melon with intensely savory vegetables makes this dish incredibly refreshing. And I give the hot, spicy shrimp a hit of freshness by grilling finely sliced mint right onto them.
Ingredients
Serves 4
Step 1
Cut away the honeydew rind and the dark green flesh close to the rind. Cut the honeydew into 1-inch chunks. You should have 4 cups of melon.
Step 2
Put the melon in a blender along with the fennel, celery, cucumber, and jalapeños. Blend on low speed until almost smooth. Strain through a medium-mesh sieve, pressing on the solids to extract as much liquid as possible; discard the solids. Stir in the minced chile, lime juice, salt, and sugar. Taste and adjust seasonings. Cover tightly and refrigerate until very cold.
Step 3
When ready to serve, heat your grill on high until very hot.
Step 4
Sprinkle salt, chile flakes, and the mint all over the shrimp, then gently press in the seasonings. Drizzle a little oil all over the shrimp. Grill the shrimp, flipping once, until just opaque throughout, about 3 minutes. Skewer to serve if desired.
Step 5
Divide the cold soup among cold serving bowls. Serve the hot shrimp on small plates next to the bowls. Drizzle a little oil over the soup and shrimp. Garnish the soup with mint and squirt a little lime juice over the shrimp. Serve immediately.