Gazpacho with Red Snapper Tartare
This is summer in a bowl. The gazpacho base — watermelon, tomatoes, peppers, cucumber and a little stale bread blended together — is cooling, vibrant and just sweet enough to balance the clean, fresh flavour of the red snapper tartare in the centre.
The watermelon is the twist here. It adds a lightness and a subtle fruitiness that you simply don't get from a traditional all-tomato gazpacho. Chilling it for at least thirty minutes before serving is essential — it needs to be properly cold to work.
A few slices of toasted sourdough on the side are all you need to turn this into a full meal. It's a lovely dish for a warm evening.
Ingredients
· 400g Red Snapper fillet (sushi-grade/previously frozen)
· 520g Watermelon (rind removed)
· 250g Datterino or cherry tomatoes
· 230g Red bell pepper
· 150g Cucumber
· 60g Celery
· 70g Stale bread
· 3 tbsp Apple cider vinegar
· 4 tbsp Extra virgin olive oil (plus more for drizzling)
· Fresh basil leaves
· Lime zest
· Tabasco (optional)
· Salt and black pepper
Method
1. Soak the bread: Place the stale bread in a bowl with the vinegar and a splash of water. Let it soften, then squeeze out the excess liquid.
2. Blend the gazpacho: In a blender, combine the watermelon, tomatoes, peppers, cucumber, celery, and soaked bread. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, a few basil leaves, salt, pepper, and a dash of Tabasco if using. Leave aside one table spoon of diced red peppers, cucumber and celery.
3. Strain and chill: Blend until completely smooth. For a silky texture, pass the mixture through a fine sieve into a bowl. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes.
4. Prep the fish: Dice the Red Snapper into small, even cubes. In a separate bowl, toss the fish, combine with diced red peppers, cucumber and celery, and with 2 generous tablespoons of olive oil, salt, pepper, and fresh lime zest.
5. Assemble: Pour the chilled gazpacho into shallow bowls. Spoon a neat mound of the Red Snapper tartare into the centre.
6. Finish: Add a final crack of black pepper and a generous drizzle of olive oil before serving.
Nutritional Analysis (Assuming 2 servings)
Total Recipe: Calories: 1,424 kcal | Protein: 120.3 g | Fat: 56.4 g | Fiber: 13.8 g
Per Serving: Calories: 712 kcal | Protein: 60.2 g | Fat: 28.2 g | Fiber: 6.9 g
Key sources: red snapper (high lean protein, Omega-3s), tomatoes and peppers (Vitamin C), olive oil (healthy fats).
Notes
We've left out garlic and onion to keep the flavours clean. A small clove of garlic or a tablespoon of red onion can be added to the blender if you prefer a more punchy base.