Equipment
* optional
Ingredients
Soup Base
- 30 g unsalted butter
- 100 g shallots, thinly sliced
- 10 g garlic, minced
- 500 g parsnips, peeled, cored, and roughly chopped
- 200 g roasted peeled chestnuts
- 800 ml vegetable stock
- 2 g fresh thyme, whole sprigs
- 100 ml heavy cream
- g fine sea salt
- g white pepper
Seared Scallops
- 200 g sea scallops, side muscle removed, patted completely dry
- 15 ml olive oil
- 15 g unsalted butter
Nutrition (per serving)
Nutrition is estimated per serving. Nutrients without complete source data are omitted.
Full nutrition
- Calories
- 481 kcal
- Protein
- 12 g
- Carbohydrates
- 59 g
- Fat
- 24 g
- Fiber
- 10 g
- Sugar
- 14 g
- Sodium
- 1312 mg
- Saturated Fat
- 12 g
- Trans Fat
- 0 g
- Monounsaturated Fat
- 8 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat
- 2 g
- Cholesterol
- 64 mg
- Potassium
- 1075 mg
- Calcium
- 112 mg
- Iron
- 2.2 mg
- Magnesium
- 73 mg
- Phosphorus
- 347 mg
- Zinc
- 1.7 mg
- Vitamin A
- 182 mcg
- Vitamin C
- 40 mg
- Vitamin D
- 0.4 mcg
- Vitamin E
- 3.2 mg
- Vitamin K
- 36 mcg
- Vitamin B6
- 0.5 mg
- Vitamin B12
- 0.8 mcg
- Thiamin
- 0.26 mg
- Riboflavin
- 0.21 mg
- Niacin
- 2.0 mg
- Folate
- 137 mcg
- Water
- 199 g
Sources: Aggregated Public Data, USDA FoodData Central
Method
Prepare the ingredients by chopping the parsnips, slicing the shallots, and mincing the garlic. Divide the chestnuts, setting aside 50g to be roughly chopped for the garnish.
Melt 30g of butter in a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the sliced shallots and minced garlic, sautéing until softened and translucent, avoiding any browning.
Add the chopped parsnips, 150g of the roasted chestnuts, vegetable stock, and thyme sprigs to the pot. Bring to a boil at 100°C/212°F, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer gently until the parsnips are completely tender.
Remove and discard the thyme sprigs. Transfer the soup to a blender, working in batches if necessary, and puree until completely smooth. For an ultra-refined texture, pass the blended soup through a fine mesh sieve back into the pot.
Stir the heavy cream into the pureed soup. Season with fine sea salt and white pepper to taste. Keep warm over low heat while preparing the scallops.
Heat a stainless steel skillet over high heat until very hot. Add the olive oil and 15g of butter. As soon as the butter foam subsides, add the dry scallops. Sear for 1.5 to 2 minutes on the first side until a deep golden crust forms. Flip and sear for another 1 minute until the internal temperature reaches 54°C/130°F.
Ladle the hot soup into warmed shallow bowls. Place 2 to 3 seared scallops in the center of each bowl. Scatter the reserved chopped chestnuts over the top and serve immediately.
Chef's Notes
- To achieve a true restaurant-quality sear on the scallops, leave them alone once they touch the pan. Resisting the urge to move them allows the Maillard reaction to create a crisp, flavorful crust.
- Using white pepper instead of black pepper maintains the pristine, creamy color of the parsnip soup without leaving dark specks throughout.
- If using older parsnips, cut out the thick, woody cores before cooking, as they will not soften completely and can impart a bitter flavor.
- Cross-contamination warning: Always use separate cutting boards for the raw scallops and the vegetables, and wash hands thoroughly after handling the raw seafood.
Storage
Refrigerator: 3 days — Store soup base only. Scallops do not keep and must be consumed immediately.
Freezer: 1 month — Freeze soup base before adding heavy cream.
Troubleshooting
Scallops lack a brown crust and became rubbery
Cause: Scallops held too much moisture or the pan was not hot enough before adding them
Fix: Cannot be fixed once cooked. To salvage the dish, slice the scallops thinly and submerge them in the hot soup to mask the texture
Prevention: Thoroughly pat scallops dry with paper towels and wait until the oil shimmers and butter foam subsides before placing them in the pan
Soup has a gritty or fibrous texture
Cause: Woody parsnip cores or insufficient blending time
Fix: Pass the soup through a fine mesh sieve or chinois, pressing with a ladle to extract the smooth liquid while leaving the fibers behind
Prevention: Remove the tough inner core of older parsnips before chopping and ensure thorough pureeing
Cultural Context
Parsnips and chestnuts are classic winter staples in European cuisine, particularly deeply rooted in French country cooking where root vegetables sustain the colder months. Elevating these rustic, earthy ingredients by pairing them with a premium coastal protein like the sea scallop creates a striking culinary balance, merging high refinement with comforting tradition.
