If you love white asparagus and want to make a delicious yet easy dish this White Asparagus Soup with Scallops is a great option for you. This soup is really easy to make, only includes a few easy ingredients and ready to serve in 30 minutes. Serve this soup as a starter or main course. It is both gluten, grain free and low carb.
Asparagus is (beside of rhubarb) the food I associate with spring the most. The only bad thing with asparagus season is that it is too short. Asparagus is such a versatile vegetable that can act both as a main star or co-star in a dish. I really can’t decide if I prefer green or white asparagus. They’re both great to cook with, but maybe for different purposes. I usually use green asparagus in side dishes, salads or include them in a dish, meanwhile I tend to use white asparagus as the main ingredient in the dish I’m making. White asparagus is a little milder, sweeter and more delicate than green asparagus, but also has a small hint of bitterness. It sometimes feels like people tend to forget about white asparagus, maybe because they don’t know how to use it. But just let your imagination flow and you’ll find so many ways of including it in your cooking. But back to this dish! This is a lovely, creamy, delicate yet tasty white asparagus soup topped with white and green asparagus tops, seared scallops and crunchy pistachio nuts. The soup itself, as said, is very creamy and delicate hence pairing so well with the quickly fried and crunchy asparagus tops, tender scallops and crunchy pistachios. The soup is made with just a few easy ingredients like yellow onion, dry white wine, cream (I used low fat) and some lemon juice. Serve this soup as a starter or main course. It is both gluten, grain free and low carb (and low fat if using low fat cream).
A few tips:
- Use fresh and juicy white asparagus to make sure you get the most out of it. Try to avoid the once that are starting to dry out.
- I prefer to peel off the outer layer of the white asparagus to remove any “woody” and fibrous parts.
- Cut off the bottom part of the asparagus to avoid woody and dry parts ruining the soup.
- Cut off the asparagus tops before cooking the white asparagus, save them for later.
- I used a dry white wine for my soup. You can add more wine according to taste. But I would recommend you not to add too much at first. Just use 100 ml as said in the recipe and let it reduce. Then when the rest of the ingredients are added to the soup and you’ve mixed it smooth you can add more as needed.
- I used low fat cream because I really want to keep this soup fresh, light and not get a too heavy feeling or taste.
- The lemon juice cuts off the fat and adds a fresh and little sour taste to the soup. Start by adding a little lemon juice and then more as needed.
- The soup can be prepared in advance and then reheated when time to eat.
- The asparagus tops and scallops are not recommended to prepare in advance. They only take about five minutes to make, as long time as it takes to reheat the soup. No one like reheated scallops.
Ingredients for White Asparagus Soup with Scallops:
- White asparagus
- Yellow onion
- Dry white wine
- Vegetable stock cube
- Water
- Cream
- Lemon
- Sea salt
- Black pepper
- Olive oil
- Scallops
- Green asparagus (optional)
- Pistachio nuts
Other recipes you might like:
- White Asparagus with Shrimps
- White Asparagus with Prosciutto (Gluten, Grain Free & Low Carb)
- Avocado Soup with Shrimps (Gluten, Grain Free & Low Carb)
- Cauliflower, Potato & Leek Soup (Vegan & Gluten Free)
- Fish & Seafood Soup
- Roasted Point Cabbage with Scallion Salsa (Gluten, Grain Free & Low Carb)
- Asparagus Frittata with Pesto & Burrata (Gluten Free & Low Carb)
- Asparagus & Feta Cheese Omelette
- Sweet Potato Toast with Prosciutto, Asparagus & Burrata (Gluten & Grain Free)
- Summer Vegetable Salad (Vegetarian, Gluten, Grain Free & Low Carb)
White Asparagus Soup with Scallops (Gluten, Grain Free & Low Carb)
Ingredients
- 500 g White asparagus peeled and bottom dry part cut off
- 1 Yellow onion minced
- 100-150 ml Dry white wine
- 1 Vegetable stock cube
- 4-5 dl Water
- 200 ml Cream (I used low fat because I prefer my soup less heavy)
- 1/2-1 Lemon, juiced
- Sea salt, to taste
- Black pepper, to taste
- Olive oil, to fry
For the topping
- 8 Scallops cleaned and muscle removed
- 10-14 Asparagus tips (from the ones you use from the soup)
- 10-14 Green asparagus tips (optional)
- Pistachio nuts roughly chopped
Instructions
- Clean and remove the muscle from the scallops. Place on a paper towel and cover with another one to make sure they dry and not wet when ready to fry.
- Peel off the outer part of the asparagus using a potato peeler.
- Cut off the bottom dry part of the asparagus.
- Cut off the asparagus tops and save for later. Then cut the asparagus into smaller pieces.
- Preheat a big pot with some olive oil.
- Add the minced yellow onion and let it fry for one minutes.
- Add the asparagus and let it all fry for 2-3 minutes.
- Add the wine and vegetable stock cube and let it simmer for 10-15 minutes, until the wine has reduced and the asparagus is soft.
- Add water, cream and lemon juice and stir to combine. Let the soup get warm.
- Meanwhile preheat a nonstick pan and a grill pan with some olive oil over medium/high heat.
- Add the asparagus tops (also the green ones if using) and fry for 3-4 minutes, until golden brown and warm but still a bit crunchy.
- Add the scallops to the grill pan and season with sea salt. Let them fry for 60-90 seconds on each side.
- Meanwhile mix the asparagus soup using a hand mixer until smooth.
- Divide the soup between bowls. Top with white and green asparagus, scallops and chopped pistachio nuts.
One thought on “White Asparagus Soup with Scallops (Gluten, Grain Free & Low Carb)”