Watermelon Gazpacho with fresh baby sardines
Ingredients
100g crustless white bread, broken into small chunks
5 cloves of garlic
6 selery stalks, chopped roughly
2 french shallots
2 tbsp grilled capsicum strips
1 heaped tbsp Tahini
3 – 4 tsp Sriracha (or 1 -2 fresh red chillis, seeds removed)
15g fresh basil leaves
3 tins Mutti Tomato Polpa (or 15 – 20 ripe tomatoes, diced)
400g Watermelon flesh
3 – 4 tbsp tomato paste
3 tbsp Olive oil
1 1/2 tbsp Red Wine Vinegar
Extra bread for making crutons
Salt, pepper and rosemary
Cuca Sardinillas in Oil, for serving
Method
- First, blend the crustless bread in a food processor until crumbed finely. Set aside
- Next, add the garlic, celery, shallots, capsicum, tahini, basil and chilli (or sriracha) to a blender and process into a paste
- In a large bowl, add the tomato pulp (or tomato chunks if using fresh), watermelon and tomato paste. Using a stick mixer with the blending blade attached, blend until smooth
- Add the garlic, celery, onion paste that you have just made to the bowl and blend until combined
- Finally, drizzle over the olive oil and red wine vinegar, season with plenty of salt and pepper and blend once more until smooth. Set aside in the fridge until ready to serve
- Before serving, make the crutons by slicing the excess bread thinly and tossing in olive oil, salt, pepper and rosemary (thyme also works)
- Cook on a hot rimmed skillet, on the BBQ or grill in the oven until golden brown
- To serve, dish out the soup into small bowls. Cut the sarndinillas (or sardines) into small chunks and scatter over the top of the soup
- Place some of the crutons alongside the soup and enjoy!