From Salon · Ashlie D. Stevens · · 1m 20s
Your soup needs a little drama
Add crunch, brightness and a plot twist to your soup for a more exciting meal.
In brief
Add crunch, brightness and a plot twist to your soup for a more exciting meal. Adding toppings like crispy bacon or lemon zest to soup creates a more interesting eating experience. Originally reported by Salon.
My soup childhood
I loved soup buffets as a child but felt the toppings were too limited.
“the prospect of choosing from several enormous vats of soup constituted a genuinely thrilling night out”
Soup topping complaint
I always thought the soup toppings selection was lacking compared to the salad bar.
“Why weren’t more of them invited to the soup party?”
Soup maximalist
I’ve been a soup maximalist for a very long time.
“I’ve been a soup maximalist for a very long time”
Texture matters
Add crispy, crunchy elements to break up the softness of soup.
“Give me something crackly, crispy or crunchy to interrupt the proceedings”
Flavor balance
Use brightness or freshness to cut through richness and wake up flavors.
“A little lemon juice or zest, chopped scallions, fresh herbs, a tangy dollop of labneh or yogurt, or something pickled can bring a rich bowl of soup into focus”
Plot twist toppings
Add unexpected elements like chili crisp or hot honey for a surprising kick.
“Chili crisp, hot honey, an assertive cheese, a little funk, or a hit of unexpected spice”
Three-level approach
Build soup with texture, brightness and a plot twist for maximum impact.
“Think of it as three levels of deliciousness, with full permission to stop whenever you’re satisfied”
Puff pastry dots
Make golden puff pastry dots with butter and thyme for a crunchy topping.
“I cut little quarter-sized rounds of puff pastry, brushed them with butter and seasoned them with dried thyme, onion and garlic powder, and an almost comical amount of black pepper”
Lemon green sauce
Mix parsley, scallions, lemon zest and oil for a bright sauce.
“I muddled together a loose, chermoula-adjacent green sauce of parsley, scallions, lemon zest, lemon juice and good olive oil”
Soup topping hack
Change toppings to revitalize leftovers and make each bowl unique.
“A big pot of soup might last you three or four days, but that doesn't mean you need to eat the exact same bowl three or four times”
Edible confetti
Create custom topping combinations for your soup.
“I’ve begun treating soup toppings almost like spice blends. I call them edible confetti”
Make your own confetti
Store combinations of toppings for easy use and repeat.
“The trick is to find a few combinations that suit the soups you eat most often and keep their components handy”
The main idea
Adding toppings like crispy bacon or lemon zest to soup creates a more interesting eating experience.
