Pumpkin soup with scallops

Pumpkin soup with scallops

Nathan Outlaw gives pumpkin soup a gourmet makeover, with the addition of golden, pan-fried scallops. The perfect autumn starter or lunch.

Pumpkin soup with scallops

Nathan’s story: Nathan is the son of a chef, trained in Kent, and worked with chefs Gary Rhodes and Eric Chavot before a move to Cornwall to work with Rick Stein inspired his interest in seafood. Today he has two restaurants in fishing village Port Isaac, each with a Michelin star: Outlaw’s Fish Kitchen and Outlaw’s New Road. His newest venture is Outlaw’s Guest House, also in Port Isaac, which hosts two-night stays that include dinner at each restaurant. outlaws.co.uk

  • Serves icon Serves 4
  • Time icon Hands-on time 30 min. Simmering time 25 min

Nathan Outlaw gives pumpkin soup a gourmet makeover, with the addition of golden, pan-fried scallops. The perfect autumn starter or lunch.

Nathan’s story: Nathan is the son of a chef, trained in Kent, and worked with chefs Gary Rhodes and Eric Chavot before a move to Cornwall to work with Rick Stein inspired his interest in seafood. Today he has two restaurants in fishing village Port Isaac, each with a Michelin star: Outlaw’s Fish Kitchen and Outlaw’s New Road. His newest venture is Outlaw’s Guest House, also in Port Isaac, which hosts two-night stays that include dinner at each restaurant. outlaws.co.uk

Nutrition: per serving

Calories
575kcals
Fat
46.6g (21g saturated)
Protein
25.2g
Carbohydrates
11.4g (8.3g sugars)
Fibre
4.8g
Salt
0.4g

Ingredients

  • 12 large scallops, roes removed if you prefer

For the soup

  • Olive oil for cooking
  • 75g unsalted butter
  • 2 onions, chopped
  • 2 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 2 thyme sprigs, leaves picked
  • 800g pumpkin, peeled, deseeded and chopped
  • 800ml good quality vegetable stock
  • 100ml double cream

For the dressing and garnish

  • 4 tsp pumpkin seeds
  • 4 tbsp pumpkin seed oil
  • 2 tsp thyme leaves
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Method

  1. For the soup, heat a large pan (one with a tight-fitting lid) over a medium heat. Add a drizzle of oil and the butter. Once foaming, add the onions and cook gently for 5 minutes until they begin to soften but not colour. Add the garlic, thyme and pumpkin, then cook for 5 minutes, stirring every now and then so it doesn’t catch.
  2. Pour in half the stock, cover and cook for 20 minutes until the pumpkin is tender. Meanwhile make the dressing: lightly toast the pumpkin seeds in a dry frying pan over a medium heat for 2-3 minutes, then remove from the heat. Add a pinch of salt and the pumpkin seed oil. Set aside.
  3. After 20 minutes, remove the lid from the soup and cook for 5 minutes more. Add the remaining stock and season with salt and pepper. Bring to the boil, then stir in the cream. Return to the boil, then leave to cool a little.
  4. Transfer the soup to a blender or food processor and whizz for 2 minutes (or use a stick blender to whizz until smooth). Return to the pan and set aside.
  5. To cook the scallops, put a large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and drizzle with olive oil. Once hot, lay all the scallops in the pan (see tips) and season with salt and pepper. Fry for 1½ minutes until golden and beginning to caramelise. Turn offthe heat and carefully turn the scallops over. They will finish cooking in the residual heat.
  6. To serve, gently reheat the soup. Divide the scallops among wide soup bowls and carefully pour the soup around them, ensuring the scallops don’t become completely submerged. Finish with the dressing spooned over the top with a few thyme leaves scattered over.

Nutrition

Nutrition: per serving
Calories
575kcals
Fat
46.6g (21g saturated)
Protein
25.2g
Carbohydrates
11.4g (8.3g sugars)
Fibre
4.8g
Salt
0.4g

delicious. tips

  1. Nathan’s expert advice:  “Don’t buy frozen scallops, as they’re often watery and have lost their lovely texture. Always use fresh or, if you can’t find any, try chunky cod (sustainable, of course) or hake. Alternatively you could just have the soup but crumble some goat’s cheese on top.”

  2. Make the soup up to 3 days in advance, then cover and store in the fridge. Reheat before serving

  3. When cooking scallops, always add them to the pan in a clockwise pattern, starting at 12 o’clock. That way, you’ll know what order you added them, so you can flip them in the same order and they’ll all be perfectly cooked.

Buy ingredients online

Recipe By:

Nathan Outlaw

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