A Cooling Bowl of Soup

Soup may not seem like summer food, but a nice cold gazpacho is great on a hot day. This version is full of seafood and has a hint of Indian flavor.

Despite the long list of ingredients, it can be made quickly. Be sure to read it through first. Then do all your chopping: onions, jalapenos, garlic, cucumber, mint. Have all the ingredients ready at hand.

You can add more garnishes or not use any, if you’d like. And if you want to spend more time, you can embellish this recipe with vegetables from the garden, such as diced red or yellow tomatoes or diced zucchini.

Top off the meal with cooling coconut sorbet.

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Seafood Gazpacho

Coconut Sorbet

Seafood Gazpacho

Active Work and Total Preparation Time: 30 minutes

Look for tamarind paste at Indian and Asian markets. Buy shrimp that has already been peeled and deveined to save time.

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/2 cup diced onion

2 teaspoons mild curry powder

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon tamarind paste

1 tablespoon chopped jalapeno

1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt

2 tablespoons sugar

1/2 pound medium peeled and deveined shrimp

1/2 pound small scallops

1/2 pound firm fish, such as salmon or sea bass, cut into 1/2-inch chunks

Flour for dredging

1/4 cup dry vermouth

1 (16-ounce) can Italian-style tomatoes

1 (6-ounce) can spicy tomato or vegetable juice

1 large European cucumber, peeled, seeded and diced

1 (6-ounce) can crab meat

Low-fat sour cream, for garnish

Chopped green onions, for garnish

Chopped fresh mint, for garnish

* Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, curry powder, cumin, tamarind paste, jalapeno, garlic, salt and sugar. Saute until onion is translucent, about 3 minutes.

* While onion cooks, dredge shrimp, scallops and fish in flour, shaking off excess. Add to onion. Stir-fry over high heat, about 3 minutes, then add vermouth. Cook, stirring, until fish is cooked through and no longer pink. Remove from skillet and place on baking sheet lined with paper towels to drain. Refrigerate to speed cooling.

* Puree tomatoes with tomato juice in food processor until thick. Divide among 4 (16-ounce) bowls, layering with cucumber in attractive presentation. Place equal amounts of seafood, fish and onion mixture in each bowl. Top each with one-fourth of crab. Place dollop of sour cream, about 1 tablespoon, over top of crab. Garnish with green onions and mint. Serve immediately.

4 servings. Each serving: 490 calories; 1,813 mg sodium; 172 mg cholesterol; 19 grams fat; 29 grams carbohydrates; 44 grams protein; 3 grams fiber.

Game Plan

30 minutes before: Cut up fish. Dice onion, garlic, jalapeno and cucumber. Chop green onions and mint.

20 minutes before: Prepare seafood.

5 minutes before: Puree tomatoes and juice.

Just before serving: Assemble gazpacho and garnish.

INGREDIENTS

Staples

Coarse salt

Ground cumin

Curry powder

Flour

Garlic

Green onions

Olive oil

Onion

Sugar

Canned tomatoes

Vermouth

Shopping list

Cucumber

Canned crab meat

1/2 pound firm fish

Jalapeno

Fresh mint

1/2 pound medium peeled and deveined shrimp

1/2 pound small scallops

Coconut Sorbet

Sour cream

Spicy tomato juice

Tamarind paste

*

Bowl and ladel from Crate & Barrel stores.