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Cold Buttermilk & Cucumber Soup
4-6
servings
Main
Course
Print Recipe
Ingredients
Directions
Ingredients
3 lg
cucumbers (about 2 pounds)
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1
garlic clove, finely chopped
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¼ c
chopped Italian parsley
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1 tsp
freshly ground black pepper
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A few dashes hot sauce
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3 c
buttermilk
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Salt
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There’s a fair amount of flexibility with this recipe. Want the color to be a purer white? Use white pepper. A Southern hot sauce such as Crystal, Louisiana or Tabasco would be ideal. Only have Cholula or Sriracha? So be it. This soup is all about ease.

Directions

  1. Peel and seed the cucumbers. (A soup spoon is great for seeding.)
  2. Finely dice one of the cucumbers and set aside about ½ cup for garnishing. Coarsely chop the other cucumbers and add them, along with any other remaining diced cucumber, to a blender. Add the garlic, parsley, black pepper, hot sauce, buttermilk and salt. Blend until smooth, then refrigerate, covered, until well-chilled, at least an hour and up to 24 hours. (In truth, it keeps for at least a few days. But the optimal window is one hour to one day.)
  3. Right before serving, taste the soup and season with salt. Garnish with a hearty drizzle of olive oil and the reserved diced cucumbers. Serve in whatever vessel you like. As the soup’s creator says, “It’s as good taken on-the-go as it is in your good china.”

Scott Hocker

Scott Hocker is a writer, editor, recipe developer, cookbook author, and content and editorial consultant. He has worked in magazines, kitchens, newsletters, restaurants and a bunch of other environments he can’t remember right now. He has also been the editor in chief of both liquor.com and Tasting Table.