The summer is great for two things - sweet corn and gazpacho. This chilled soup is easy - blend corn, tomatoes, peppers, oil, vinegar, salt, and cucumber!
I know, I know, I’m still going with the sweet corn...
The other day, Jack was driving out to the suburbs to pick up a few things at my parent’s house and I asked him to stop at The Farm on his way home. The Farm is a little farm stand in Darien, IL where, in my opinion, the best sweet corn is grown. Growing up, my mom brought home dozens of ears of corn at a time and we’d all sit on the back stoop and shuck it. It took forever and we made a silky mess, peeling back one soft paper-y layer at a time. We loved working hard for our, what I now realize was, large amounts of corn.
Jack called me when he got there and said “they’re selling corn by the half dozen, so you want me to get one bundle of six right?” and I said “no, no, of course not, get 2 bundles! I blurted this out impulsively because it’s the way my mom bought (and still buys) corn for the family during corn season. It wasn’t until he came home with what felt like a million kernels of corn that I realized that he and I are only a family of 2 and what the heck would I do with ALL of this corn?
Well for starters, I made this gazpacho:
The days are still warm so it’s still ok to eat gazpacho in my book (er… on my blog). This recipe couldn’t be easier – just put all of the ingredients in a blender and blend. This soup consists of a soft yellow heirloom tomato, a yellow pepper, a cucumber, olive oil, sherry vinegar, and raw corn. I like to reserve a few corn kernels to garnish on top of the soup with a few cherry tomatoes, sliced basil, and some few micro greens.
It’s a very light soup – pair it with slices of avocado toast and you’ll have a refreshing lunch or light dinner.
Special note: Soups are usually better on the second or third day when the flavors have the chance to mingle in the fridge. This soup is no exception – I just finished up the leftover soup as I type this (day 3), and it’s so much more cohesive and delicious than it was on the first day.
Sweet Corn Gazpacho
- 3 ears corn, kernels and juices, reserve â…“ cup for garnish
- 1 large or 2 med. yellow heirloom tomatoes, chopped (300g)
- 1 yellow pepper, stemmed, seeded, and chopped
- 1 cup cucumber, peeled and chopped
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar
- ½ to 1 teaspoon sea salt
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- reserved corn kernels
- ½ cup sliced cherry tomatoes
- chopped basil and/or microgreens
- In a blender, combine the corn, tomato, pepper, cucumber, olive oil, sherry vinegar, salt, and pepper and blend until smooth. Season to taste.
- Serve with the reserved corn kernels, cherry tomatoes, and herbs.
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Absolutely amazing soup, along with your original gazpacho, have made a different gazpacho before and hated and haven’t made it in the years since, however I needed to find some new soup recipes and luckily found you, thought I’d give the sweetcorn a go first, I used tinned corn hope that’s okay, after loving that I decided to give the Gazpacho a go and I’m totally converted, best things I’ve eaten in ages, thank you x
Hi Carolyn, thanks for your comment! I’m so glad you loved both recipes.
I’m not a fan of raw corn’s chalky juice, so I popped it in the Instant Pot for 1 minute w quick release. Since I’m in the low country where we do shrimp boils w corn on cob, I gave a nod to that by quickly sautéing up a few shrimp w bay seasoning, chopped and added a few spoonfuls to each bowl of gazpacho. Also, to the soup I added a hit of lime, a hit of white wine and some water to adjust for how thick the soup was. Altogether fantastic and I thank you for pointing me in this direction!
Hello, I want to make this for a dinner my church is having for the fire station. Do you think if I triple the recipe? I was also thinking of roasting the corn to add a little more flavor. Opinion?? Thank you.
Hi Brenda, you could triple it depending how many you’re serving. I think some roasted corn on top would be great!
This was outstanding! Light and fresh, and the most beautiful yellow color. Brought it for a dinner party and it got so many compliments including from someone who hates cold soup. Lol A couple small changes… I roasted the pepper instead of putting it in raw and I sprinkled a combination of diced heirloom tomato, corn from a 4th ear and fresh basil on top of each bowl before serving. I think using really good olive oil is important. Different olive oils have different flavor. I used the Luchini extra virgin.
I’m so glad everyone loved it!
I made this but I used a few modifications. I blanch the corn very quickly as well as the tomato to remove the skin. I also rendered some pancetta that I cook till crispy as a garnish. It was very good.
I just made the corn gazpacho and it tastes great right from the blender but I’m going to wait a few days to serve it. It is so beautiful, I can’t wait. I substituted lime juice for some of the vinegar and that was a good choice. This is the third recipe from your site I have made and they are all ?.
Can I use a different oil instead of evoo? If so, what would you recommend.
Hi Laura, you could use avocado oil.
I made a watermelon gazpatcho I loved this year so I was excited about this but the directions were a little vague and I may have messed it up cuz it was OKAY after I messed with the spices n added more vinegar n pepper. When it says, add the juices does that mean the juice that falls in the plate from cutting it, or if u steamed it in the microwave…those juices bc if u boil the corn…that’s a lot of water. I added abt 1/4 cup maybe from the pot and maybe I watered it down too much. There was one other step that was unclear also but I forget now. I will say that this pairs really well with a ham and swiss sandwich. It’s also a great way to use up a harvest.
Hi Kay, I’m sorry the instructions felt vague – it’s meant to be the raw corn and the juices that fall when you cut the kernels off. The corn doesn’t get cooked at all in this recipe.
I made your Watermelon Gazpacho and loved it. I don’t really consider myself a cook in terms of being knowledgeable about cooking. Hence I had no idea of how to treat the corn or about what kind of corn to use. I mean do I cook it first? Can I use frozen corn? Quickly, in a few sentences pointing out these facts would go a long way for us beginner cooks. Thank you
Hi Joe, We use fresh, raw corn in this recipe, which is why we don’t provide instructions for cooking it. I’d recommend using fresh corn here if you can, but you could try it with frozen. You’ll need about 2 1/4 cups. I’d defrost the corn in the microwave or on the stovetop before adding it to the soup. I’m glad you loved the watermelon gazpacho, and I hope you enjoy this one too!
Great Recipe didnt think to make this. Had everything in my garden, it came out very refreshing. I made a second batch but roasted all the corn and tomatoes and peppers. It may not be gazpacho now but so delicious. I also added a jalapeño to spice I up mmmm. Thanks for the recipe.
It was pleasant. But. A little too sweet for my taste. I may have overdone the amount of corn. Very nice though.
I love this corn gazpacho! I just made it for the third time today! Thanks for this recipe.