Prawn and Cucumber Soup with Grilled Scallops. Planning a special event this weekend? Impress your guests with this fantastic platter of striking seafood entrees. Fresh in flavour and using seasonal produce it will delight any palette.
Prawn and Cucumber Soup with Grilled Scallops
Chilled Cucumber Soup with Prawns
Serves 8
Ingredients
1 tbsp olive oil
1 small brown onion, finely chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 large potato (200g), peeled and diced
2 cups chicken stock (or water)
300g telegraph (or lebanese) cucumber, peeled and chopped
½ cup thick greek-style yoghurt
⅓ cup mint leaves
¼ cup dill sprigs
8 medium cooked prawns, peeled and de-veined, tails intact
Method
- Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, garlic and cumin and cook for 3 minutes, stirring often, or until onion is soft. Add potato and chicken stock. Bring to the boil, reduce heat to low and then simmer for 8–10 minutes or until potato is tender. Allow to cool.
- Pour cold potato mixture into a food processor. Add cucumber, yoghurt, mint and dill. Process until smooth. Transfer to a bowl, cover and refrigerate until cold.
- Spoon cold soup into 8 small glasses. Hang a prawn on the side of each glass. Serve.
Note: soup can be made 1–2 days ahead and stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
Japanese-Flavoured Grilled Scallops
Serves 8
Ingredients
2 tbsp japanese rice vinegar
2 tbsp lemon juice
3 tsp soy sauce
3 tsp mirin
1 garlic clove, crushed
24 scallops, in shells
2 tsp toasted sesame seeds
Method
- To make marinade, combine japanese rice vinegar, lemon juice, soy sauce, mirin and garlic in a jug. Put scallops on 2 baking trays. Spoon 1 tsp marinade onto each scallop. Stand for 20 minutes.
- Preheat a grill on medium-high. Put a tray under grill. Grill half the scallops for 3–4 minutes or until just cooked. Grill remaining scallops.
- Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve immediately.