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Chilled Avocado Cucumber Soup

A delightful and simple chilled soup with fewer than 10 ingredients. Avocado and cucumber with fresh herbs are incredibly flavorful in a simple buttermilk and yogurt base.
Course Soup
Cuisine American
Prep Time 15 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes
Servings 2 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 English cucumber About 14-16 ounces. Can substitute the same amount by weight of "regular" cucumbers.
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher or fine sea salt
  • 1/2-1 avocado roughly chopped
  • 2 tablespoons chopped shallot About 1/2 ounce.
  • 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, fresh mint, & fresh dill - all chopped I used about equal amounts, pressed firmly into cup for measurement. If you do not have fresh dill, substitute 1 teaspoon dried dill.
  • 1/4 cup Greek-style plain yogurt
  • 8 ounces buttermilk
  • 1/2 lemon 1-2 tablespoons of the juice + grated zest (zest optional)
  • kosher or sea salt + freshly ground pepper optional
  • additional small amount of chopped fresh herbs for garnish

Instructions

  1. Peel cucumber, slice it open and remove the center portion with seeds, using a small spoon. Chop into small chunks and mix with the 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Set aside for 20-30 minutes.
  2. While the cucumber is resting with the salt (which will draw water out from the cucumber, intensifying its taste and texture), chop the avocado, shallot, and herbs.
  3. In a small bowl, mix the buttermilk, the Greek yogurt, and 1 tablespoon of the lemon juice, plus the lemon zest if you are using it.
  4. After the cucumber releases its water, rinse the chopped pieces and press them in a colander, pushing out as much of the water as possible. The chunks will begin to soften as you do that.
  5. Once all of the vegetables and herbs are ready, mix them withe the butttermilk, yogurt, and lemon. Blend the mixture, until the soup is velvety. Tiny specks of the herbs will remain, but the vegetables will be thoroughly pulverized.
  6. Refrigerate the soup for at least 30 minutes, then taste. Add more lemon juice, salt and/or pepper to taste.

Recipe Notes

If you have regular yogurt, you can turn it into Greek-style yogurt by straining it through cheesecloth (or even several sheets of paper towel if you are careful.)