Mango Gazpacho

When the weather warms up, you want to eat refreshing dishes that cool you off. Gazpacho is a classic, savory summer soup that originated in Spain. Served in a chilled dish, this soup is classically made with raw vegetables, especially tomatoes, bell peppers, and celery. For this recipe, we incorporate sweet mangos to balance the intensity from the raw onion, black pepper, citrusy orange, and herbaceous basil.

Mangos are not intensely sweet, but they do add a pleasant sweetness to a chilled soup. It is a tropical, refreshing fruit that you can easily enjoy fresh on a hot day, but you can easily incorporate them into savory dishes like this recipe. For example, there are many Thai soups or stew that incorporate mango because the sweetness balances the spicy chilies. This recipe, however, does not contain intense Thai spices, but you can add thinly sliced raw chilies as a topping, provided you want to light a fire on your taste buds!

This is a great make-ahead recipe, as you should chill it for a couple hours in the fridge prior to serving. If you want to store it in the fridge overnight and serve it the next day, that is also a possibility. Make sure that the storage container is airtight, so as to keep it as fresh as possible. When you decide to serve it, drizzle some extra virgin olive oil on top of the soup. You can also top the soup with raw pumpkin seeds, chopped cilantro, and diced cucumbers for more texture.