Ingredients
Serves 4-612 large scallops
Olive oil
550g strawberries, hulled, quartered
115g onion, thinly sliced
115g red capsicum, sliced
150g cucumber, peeled, seeded & sliced
½ garlic clove, smashed
5g tarragon
50ml balsamic
50ml virgin oil
Salt and pepper
Garnish:
2 tbsp strawberries diced
2 tbsp red capsicum diced
2 tbsp cucumber diced
Salt and pepper
1 tbsp chives, finely snipped
2 tbsp almond oil
Baby herbs to garnish, optional
Roasted almonds, optional
Method
Combine strawberries, onion, capsicum, cucumber, garlic, tarragon, balsamic and olive oil in a bowl and squeeze to break down a little. Cover and leave overnight. The next day, puree till smooth then pass through a fine sieve.
To prepare garnish combine diced strawberries, capsicum, cucumber, chives and almond oil. Season lightly and fold together.
Drizzle scallops with virgin olive oil and season lightly. Cook in a preheated pan for 45 seconds until well caramelised, turn & allow to briefly kiss the heat on the other side.
Arrange 3 scallops per serve in a bowl plate, alongside a spoonful of the garnish. Slowly pour strawberry gazpacho into the bowl. Finish with a drizzle of almond oil, some baby herbs and roasted almonds.
Notes
I used Hervey Bay scallops and Sunshine Coast strawberries.
A (groovy) alternative serving suggestion is to serve the gazpacho as an amuse bouche or canapé. It looks terrific in a demi-tasse cup with a small spoonful of the garnish. As a finishing touch, place a teaspoon on the saucer with a single roasted almond.
By leaving the ingredients to macerate overnight the flavour is intensified. If the soup is a bit thick, thin it out with a little chilled water.