Chilled Celery Soup with Nantucket Bay Scallops

By carinem25

Ingredients

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 large shallots, thinly sliced (1 cup)
• 8 celery ribs, thinly sliced, plus 2 tablespoons shredded celery leaves, for garnish
• 4 cups water
• 1/2 cup flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 1 1/3 cups crème fraîche
• Salt and freshly ground white pepper
• 2 tablespoons grapeseed oil
• 1 1/4 pounds Nantucket bay scallops (see Note)

Details

Servings 10

Preparation

Step 1

In a large saucepan, melt the butter over moderate heat. Add the shallots and cook until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the sliced celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender and still bright green, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the water and bring to a boil. Simmer over moderate heat until tender, about 8 minutes.
Working in batches, puree the soup with the parsley. Strain the soup into a bowl, pressing on the solids. Whisk in the crème fraîche and refrigerate until chilled. Season the soup with salt and white pepper.
Just before serving, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in a large skillet until smoking. In a bowl, season the scallops with salt and pepper and toss with the remaining 1 tablespoon of oil. Add the scallops to the pan; cook over high heat, turning, until golden and cooked through, about 3 minutes.
Ladle the soup into bowls and mound the scallops in the center. Sprinkle with the celery leaves and serve immediately.