ingredients
- tablespoon tomato paste
- 1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
- 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
- cayenne pepper (optional)
- 1 cup heavy cream, divided
- 1 bottle (8 oz.) clam juice, plus 1/2 cup water
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1 small onion, chopped (about 3/4 cup)
- 1/2 pound medium-size sea scallops (about 8 scallops)
- 1 celery stalk, chopped (about 1/4 cup)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided
- 1 small carrot, chopped (about 1/3 cup)
prperation
Season scallops with salt and pepper. Melt 1 tablespoon butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the scallops and saut until golden, about 2 minutes per sode. Remove from saucepan and set aside.
Melt remaining tablespoon of butter. Add onion, carrot and celery and saut until softened, about 3 minutes. Add tomato paste and saut 1 minute more. Add clam juice, water and cayenne (optional). Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook to heat through.
Pour soup, 1/2 cup cream and the scallops (reserving four for garnish) into a blender. Puree soup in batches until very smooth. Return to saucepan and simmer to warm through. Season with salt and cayenne pepper to taste.
Puree cilantro, zest and remaining cream in blender until smooth and creamy. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Divide soup among 4 bowls. Top each with a quarter of the cilantro cream and the remaining scallops.
