Since I've spent so many years eating and cooking in Spain, I would be remiss if I didn't include a gazpacho in this book. But alas, this is not your abuela's gazpacho. In this version, peaches, plums, and watermelon all come together in a bright, colorful, chilled soup that is topped with a single seared diver scallop. The tart sour plums allow the sweet plump scallop to feel a little less self-conscious in its summery dress. If you can't find sour plums, substitute sweet plums, preferably golden plums, plus the juice of 2 lemons.
Ingredients
Serves 4
Step 1
Combine the peaches, plums, watermelon, garlic, shallots, and vinegar in the Vitamix, blender, or food processor. Process on high until smooth and creamy, then reduce the speed and drizzle in the 1 cup olive oil until completely incorporated. Season with salt and pepper and set aside to chill in the refrigerator. Go ahead and chill 4 glass soup bowls while you're at it.
Step 2
Preheat the oven to 325°. When the gazpacho is chilled, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in an ovenproof skillet over medium-high heat. Season the scallops generously with salt and pepper. Once the olive oil slips easily across the pan, carefully place the scallops in the pan and sear until golden brown. I like the scallops to be just barely cooked, so I only sear one side. After about 2 minutes on the stovetop, put the whole kit and caboodle in the oven, without flipping the scallops; they will need 2-3 minutes in the oven.
Step 3
Fill each chilled soup bowl with a generous portion of gazpacho and nestle one scallop in each bowl, seared side up. A sprinkling of Espelette pepper and the thyme sprigs and blossoms and a drizzle of fruity olive oil is all you need.
How would you rate Stone Fruit Gazpacho with Scallops?
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Reviews (8)
Back to TopMade this as directed except I threw in a couple nectarines. I also used a blackberry balsamic vinegar. When serving I scattered some goat cheese on top- delicious!
Karen O
Salt Lake City UT
9/18/2022
A whole cup of olive oil? Oh, my...Without a doubt delicious, but each serving is a quarter cup of oil, and each table spoon of oil is a hundred calories, so we are talking, what, 4 or 5 hundred calories per serving, just from the oil alone. Add to that all the fruity goodness, and that is even more calories...Add to that all the appetizers and an entree...and that's more calories per one meal than daily recommended, and that is before dessert. Live the lifestyle a year and see what the scale shows...and your health report card. Personal experience, unfortunately. Oh, if only food did not affect people so...
Maybeso
7/8/2021
Loved the gazpacho, loved the scallops. Together? Not so much. I often like unusual pairings but I just didn't feel these worked well together.
mcbrm
Seattle, WA
8/7/2014
As per all the others, this recipe is fantastic. We split it into two batches then finished #1 with white wine vinegar and #2 with sherry vinegar. #1 had a 'high note' and a slight bitterness. #2 was rounder, fuller and hands-down the winner. I'll only make it with sherry vinegar in the future, no questions asked.
bpohl
London UK
8/11/2013
非常清新优雅。espelette和你me really make the dish. I used the most tart plum I could find (over 15 varieties tasted!), and still needed to add the lemon juice, which imparts its own flavor, different from the sour plum. I used sherry vinegar, and that made the dish sing. I also had a peach vinegar, but that imparted too much sweetness. Will go in search of that sour plum for the next time!
Nanette90278
Los Angeles, CA
7/29/2013
I wanted to add to my recent review that I did not need as much olive oil as called for--3/4 C worked fine. And I needed to correct that my fruit was not in the fridge, just my watermelon.
Boilerbaker
S. Indiana
8/25/2012
Such a great moment, when we ate this amazing gazpacho last Wednesday here in Southern France, where peaches and plums are doing their best to please us (it's Summer!) and thyme grows as free as the Mistral wind (it's la garrigue!)!
MariaBetania
Grospierres, France
8/24/2012
Absolutely loved the combination of flavors in this recipe! We had extra gazpacho left over after we had devoured the scrumptious seared scallops, so I added a dollop of no fat Greek yogurt on top of the fruit gazpacho, and that was also delicious with some chopped almonds sprinkled over it. I just happened to have all the fruits in my fridge so had to make this summer gazpacho, and I will look forward to making it again next summer after local plums are in season along with the local peaches and watermelon. (I used yellow peaches and red watermelon, so the color was darker, but the taste was full of flavor--also added some peach balsamic vinegar in addition to the other ingredients.)
Anonymous
S. Indiana
8/23/2012
