Golden Gazpacho with Serrano Chiles and Bay Scallops
This chile pepper gets its name from its origin. In Spanish, serrano is an adjective meaning “from the mountains” which is where it originated-in the mountains of Hildalgo, Mexico. The serrano is normally about twice as hot as Jalapeno (about 10,000 to 15,000 Scoville units). It is the second most popular chile pepper in Mexico. This chile is used mostly for salsas but can also be used in soups, sauces, chili or stews. Try these as a hotter substitute for Jalapeno.
Ingredients:
4 oranges
5 or 6 golden or yellow tomatoes, blanched, peeled, seeded, and diced
1/4 cup diced yellow bell pepper
1/4 cup diced cantaloupe
1/4 cup diced papaya
1/4 cup diced mango
1/3 cup dice chayote
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and diced (about 1/2 cup)
6 scallions (white part only), finely chopped
3 serrano chiles, seeded
2 3/4 cups chicken stock
1/4 tsp powdered saffron
2 Tbsp fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp salt
1 Tbsp chopped cilantro
8 oz fresh bay scallops
Instructions:
Zest one of the oranges, finely chop the zest, and reserve. Juice all of the oranges. Place the juice in a saucepan and reduce over high heat to about 1/4 cup. Reserve the reduced juice. In a large mixing bowl, combine the tomatoes, bell pepper, cantaloupe, papaya, mango, chayote, cucumber, and scallions. Set aside.
In a blender, puree the serrano chiles in 3/4 cup chicken stock. Transfer to a bowl, add the saffron, and allow the infuse for about 10 minutes.
In a blender or food processor, puree one half of the reserved tomato mixture. Return to the remaining tomato mixture in the bowl. Strain the chicken stock mixture into the bowl and stir in the lime juice, reserved orange juice, and salt. Let the soup chill for at least 1 hour. Meanwhile, place the cilantro and reserved orange zest in a bowl and mix together. Lightly poach the scallops in the remaining 2 cups of chicken stock for 1 minute. Remove the scallops, let cool, and coat in the cilantro and orange zest.
To serve, divide the soup onto 4 chilled bowls and garnish each serving with 2 oz of the scallops.
Makes 4 servings.
From The New Texas Cuisine.