Grilled Shellfish Gazpacho -

Grilled Shellfish Gazpacho

Ingredients

1 slice wholegrain country bread, crusts removed and broken into small chunks
1 dessertspoon sherry vinegar
½ garlic clove, finely chopped
1 teaspoon caster sugar
½ red chilli, seeded, finely diced
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus extra for brushing
350g (12oz) plum tomatoes, peeled and seeded
200ml (7fl oz) tomato juice
2 spring onions, finely sliced
½ red pepper, roasted or grilled, peeled, seeded and diced
½ large cucumber, peeled, seeded and roughly diced
1 dessertspoon pesto
Freshly ground black pepper
3 large raw prawns, shelled
4 diver-caught scallops, shucked
Basil leaves to garnish
125g (4½oz) white crab meat

For the basil salt (optional)
Handful of basil leaves
125g (4½oz) Maldon salt

Details

Serves: 4

Method

Place the bread in a food processor or blender. While blitzing the bread, add the vinegar, garlic, sugar and chilli and blend until smooth.

Add the olive oil, a little at a time, until it has been absorbed by the bread. Add the tomatoes, tomato juice, spring onions, red pepper, cucumber and pesto. Continue to blitz until a smooth emulsion is formed. Season to taste with black pepper.

To make the basil salt, place the ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth and green. Store in an airtight container. Half an hour before serving, sprinkle the prawns and scallops with ½ teaspoon of the basil salt, if desired, and toss to combine.

Dust off the salt from the prawns and scallops and brush with a little olive oil. Cook them under a hot grill or in a griddle or heavy-based frying pan for 1-2 minutes on each side.

Ideally serve in large-rimmed shallow soup bowls. Place the prawns and scallops in the centre, then pour the soup around the shellfish. Scatter each bowl with basil leaves and fresh crab and serve immediately.

Per serving:- 198 kcals, 10g fat, 2g saturated fat, 11g carbohydrate, 0.65g sodium

Related food category:

• Soup