“Gazpachuelo” with shrimp, paired with Protos Verdejo

The dish we bring you is a “gazpachuelo” with shrimp, velvety on the mouth, with aromas remminicent of sea breeze and an elegant texture. This cold soup originated in Malaga, Spain and is a traditional dish in most seaside towns in Andalusia.

I don’t remember the first time I tried the gazpachuelo, but it has burned in my memory ever since and has become a staple appetizers in many of my parties.

This recipe is from top Michelin star chef Dani Garcia. So it goes without saying that it will be amazing and you will look great in front of your friends this summer. Dani makes it with red prawns, but with my limited budget, I make it with good old jumbo shrimp, not the same, but delicios anyway!

For my recipe I use jumbo shrimp, however in this photo I made it with crayfish and toasted almonds, which I have included underneath the recipe, should you fancy trying out different ways.

For this elegant dish I needed an elegant wine to pair it with and what better than Bodegas Protos’ Verdejo surpassing my expectations. This wine is fresh and one of my favorite whites and pairs beautifully with my “gazpachuelo” or any of my appetizers and fish dishes. Actually I will even dare to say that it brings forth some flavours that you would not be able to enjoy, if it weren’t for the wine.

To get to know better the winery, you can visit it in the town of Peñafiel, nestled underneath a XVth Century castle. A beautiful trip for history, wine and gastronomy in Northwest Spain.

Below you can find the tasting sheet, copied from their website, as they definitely will explain it far better than me. To each its own, I say.

Vintage:  2019

Grape variety: Verdejo 100%.

Alcohol by Vol.: 13%.

Vineyards: Planted more than 15 years ago. ● Dry land with gravelly soils. ● Height: between 700 and 800mts a.s.l. ● Yields of 7,500kg/ha.

Features: ● Mechanical night harvest. ● Skin contact maceration of 4/5 hours at 10ºC. ● C. Static racking at 10ºC. ● Fermentation  at 13.5ºC.  ● Aging on fine lees for approximately 3 months, depending on daily tastings.

Color: Bright yellow straw color, with green hints that reflect its youth.

Nose: Medium high intensity. Aromas of tropical fruits (pineapple) and citrus fruits first appear along with white fruits (apple) and herbs, such as boxwood and fennel.

Palate: Dry with an amazing balance of freshness and acidity. Good structure and body given by its fine lees’ aging. Long finish with a slightly bitter palate, typical of the variety.

Food Pairing: White fish, tuna, sushi, seafood, salads, pasta, chicken, soft & blue cheeses.

Serving Temperature: 6 – 7ºC.

I am very happy with this recipe and the wine pairing. Delightfully fresh and perfect for summer!

• Category: Appetizer
• Style: Andalusian cuisine
• Main ingredient: fish fumet
• Cooking time: medium
• 4 people
• Price: high
• Difficulty: low
• This recipe is lactose & gluten free

Ingredients for my “gazpachuelo”, 4 servings:

For the fish fumet:

• 1kg anglerfish bones
• shrimp heads
• 1 medium sized carrot
• 1/2 white onion
• 1 garlic clove
• salt

For the “gazpachuelo”:

• 1lt fish fumet
• 1 medium potato
• thinly sliced leek
• 50g toasted almonds
• 1tsp parsley
• 150g mayonnaise (preferably homemade)
• 4 tbs extra virgin olive oil
• salt

For the garnish:

• Jumbo Shrimp (or favorite seafood), 1 per serving
• 1tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
• 1 lemon (both zest and juice)
• 1 garlic clove (crushed)

Plus: rose petals for decoration

Cooking instructions

Fish fumet:

• Pour all the ingredients listed above in a casserole, add salt and cook at low temperature for 15 minutes.
• Strain and filter for a clean broth.

Gazpachuelo:

• Sautée the sliced leek at low temperature,
• add the thinly dices potato and the fish fumet,
• let it simmer slowly for 20 mintues, adding the toasted almonds at minute 10,
• shred and strain,
• let it cool.

Last steps!

In a bowl, put the mayonnaise, add the soup, slowly, until the gazpachuelo is blended with the mayo and has light creamy texture. Season.

For the shrimp, place it in the leftover gazpachuelo mix and let it marinate for 30 minutes. Then place it in a small wooden skewer and cook it in a pan.

Presentation

Place the gazpachuelo y a beautiful cup, here I used a martini one, decorate it with the rose petals, and place the shrimp on top.

Tips

• It is very important that you don’t overcook the fumet, fishbones have a lot of calciu, and excess of heat might give your fumet a sour unpleasant touch.
• Another is to shredd and strain the gazpachuelo, as much as you can, so you can get that soft, velvety texture.
• I normally buy hake or any fish, and ask the fishmonger to separate the fishbones and heads and give them separetely, this way I can put them in the freeze and use anytime I want to make it. But if I don’t, any fish shop can sell you monkfish bones that are perfect for this recipe.

Following Ricard Camarena ‘s tips from his book “Caldos” (broths); I have used my pressure cooker, but if you don’t have, you can do it in a normal pot.

Concha Bernad. Cocinayaficiones.com