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50 Fish and Seafood Soup Recipes Part 4

Here's Part 4 of the eCourse - this covers fish and vegetables and the next 10 recipes from Mussel and Rice Soup to Salt Cod Soup.

Fish

Many recipes say a mixture of fish. I like to aim for at least 3 different types here – use different textures and flavours. Cod, haddock, coley,whiting and similar are ‘flaky’. Monkfish, halibut, turbot etc are ‘meaty’.

It’s OK to use one type if you like, but experiment with different ones and you’ll get a new eating experience every time.

The individual recipes will give detailed instructions, but for general guidelines, you will need your fish filleting, skinning, boning and cutting into bite sized chunks.

Keep the skin, bones, heads and trimmings to make stock – add onion, celery, carrot and maybe some herbs and cover with water. Bring to the boil, skim and simmer for no longer than 30 minutes – that’s fish stock at its most basic, there is a more involved stock recipe within this book and some recipes give their own instructions for making stock.

Make sure you strain the stock to remove the bits of bone, skin and scales. Use a piece of fine cloth over a sieve - don't forget to put a bowl or pan underneath to catch the stock - it's been done, letting the stock go down the sink and the rubbish stay in the sieve!

It's worth buying a fish descaler to use prior to skinning.

Tomatoes

If you’re confident that you have really nice, ripe, tasty fresh tomatoes, then there is no substitute.

However, I am frequently disappointed in the quality and taste and so I either use fresh tomatoes with a tablespoon of tomato puree or tinned Italian plum tomatoes – also adding tomato puree, but I taste first. Jars of tomato juice, pulp or passata are also good standby ingredients.

To skin tomatoes
Cut the core out with a sharp knife – take a sort of ‘cone’ shape out of the tomato so that no core is left. Make a cross in the bottom of the tomato with a sharp knife - just enough to nick the skin, leaving the flesh alone.

Pour boiling water over the tomatoes and leave for about 1 minute.

The skin will begin to separate from the tomato.

Remove the tomatoes from the water and pull away the skin - that’s if they’re really ripe – if they’re not, little bits of skin will stick and you’ll have to cut it off.

Other vegetables
In most of these recipes you will use onion, celery, carrots or potatoes.

Cut them into small, even pieces so that the cooking time is roughly the same.

Celery needs to be ‘de-stringed’ thoroughly before chopping. Bits of stringy celery will spoil the finished soup.

Herbs and Spices
For the most part, it is OK to substitute dried or powdered for fresh. The taste is different with fresh herbs, but it is not essential.

If you’re happy with the finished result then that’s all that matters – don’t be put off by other peoples’ snobbery!

Bouquet Garni – that’s a sprig of thyme, a bayleaf and two sprigs of parsley. You can buy a bouquet garni in a sort of tea bag as well.

Remove before serving – if you forget and the kids moan when they find it (which they will) then say ‘Oh – there’s a prize for finding that!’ and give them a packet of crayons or something.

Garlic - peel and crush it either with a garlic press or the flat blade of a large knife – just put the peeled clove on your board, then lay the flat side of a cooks knife blade over it and crush it with your fist – carefully or it might shoot across the room!

Garlic salt or celery salt adds flavour – I use both (but not at the same time) add it to your taste.

Garlic puree in tubes is a good alternative – use to your taste and check what the tube says as to its strength – like all products, they differ.

Mussel and Rice Soup

Serves 6

2 pints, 2 lb (1k) mussels – scrubbed and bearded
8 fl oz, ½ pint (300ml) dry white wine
1 onion – peeled and chopped
4 cloves garlic – peeled and crushed
1 tbspn olive oil
3 leeks – finely sliced
16 fl oz, 1 pint (600ml) water
2 tbspns long grain rice
4 ripe tomatoes – skinned and chopped
1 tbspn tomato puree
1 bouquet garni
salt and pepper to taste
fresh chopped parsley to serve

Put the mussels into a pan with the wine, onion and half the garlic. Cover and cook until the shells open. Discard any mussels that have not opened.

Strain the liquor and reserve. Shell the mussels.

Heat the oil in a pan and gently fry the leeks and the rest of the garlic for 5 minutes or so until they are softened.

Make up the mussel liquor to 1 litre (28 fl oz, 1 ¾ pints) with water and pour this into the pan.

Add the rice and boil for 12 minutes until the rice is tender.

Put the soup into a blender and process until smooth, then pour it back into the pan.

Add the tomatoes, puree and bouquet garni and simmer for 5 minutes.

Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Take out the bouquet garni and add the mussels. Heat through and serve garnished with parsley.

Mussel and Tomato Soup

Serves 4

4 tbspns olive oil
1 large onion – peeled and finely chopped
3 cloves garlic – peeled and crushed
2 cup size, 14 oz (400g) can peeled chopped Italian plum tomatoes
8 fl oz, ½ pint (300ml) white wine
1 tspn dried oregano
4 pints (2.25litres) mussels – scrubbed and bearded
2 tbspns double cream
salt and pepper to taste
chopped parsley to garnish

Heat the olive oil in a pan and fry the onions and garlic until softened.

Add the tomatoes, wine and oregano and simmer for about 10 minutes.

Add the mussels to the soup and let them steam open. Discard any that do not open.

Stir in the cream – if the soup is too thick, then add a little more wine.

Taste and adjust the seasoning and serve garnished with the freshparsley.

Mussel Bisque

Serves 4

3 pints, 3lbs (1.2k) fresh mussels – bearded and scrubbed
4 fl oz, ¼ pint (150ml) white wine
16 fl oz, 1 pint (600ml) water
1/8 cup, 1 oz (25g) butter
1 small onion – peeled and chopped
1 leek – finely chopped
1 carrot – peeled and chopped
2 tomatoes – skinned and chopped
1 celery stick – chopped
2 cloves garlic – peeled and crushed
1 tbspn fresh parsley
1 tbspn fresh basil
½ red pepper – deseeded and diced
6 fl oz, 8 fl oz (250ml) cream
salt and pepper to taste

Put half the wine and water in a pan and steam the mussels open.

Discard any that do not open.

Remove the mussels from the pan and leave to cool. Take some out of their shells and leave a few to garnish the finished soup.

Strain the mussel liquor. Heat the butter in the pan and gently fry the onion, leek, carrot, tomatoes, celery, red pepper and garlic.

Add the mussel liquor, the rest of the wine and water and simmer for about 10 minutes until the vegetables are tender.

Add the basil and parsley and simmer for 5 minutes.

Add the mussels and cream and heat through.

Taste and adjust the seasoning and serve immediately.

Mussel Soup

Serves 4

2 pints, 2 pints (1.2 litres) mussels
3-4 cups, 1lb (450g) white fish fillets
1 stick celery – chopped finely
1 onion – peeled and chopped
1 carrot – peeled and diced
32 oz, 2 ½ pints (1 ½ litres) water
2 ozs (50g) butter
2 tbspns flour
2 tspns curry powder
2 tbspns tomato puree
2 chicken stock cubes
2 ripe tomatoes – skinned and diced
salt and pepper to taste
chopped fresh parsley to serve

Clean the mussels.

Skin and bone the fish cutting into good sized chunks.

Put the water and vegetables into a pan. Simmer for 10 minutes. Add the fish and simmer a further 10 minutes.

Drain, reserve the stock and fish but discard the vegetables.

Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the flour and curry powder.

Combine until smooth.

Add the tomato puree and the fish stock – gradually incorporating the stock into the flour mixture. Stir constantly until the soup thickens.

Add the stock cubes and the tomatoes and simmer for 2 minutes.

Add the mussels and flaked fish. Cook for 5 minutes – discard any mussels that do not open.

Taste and season – serve with chopped parsley garnish.

New Orleans Gumbo

Seafood Gumbo is Cajun/Creole by origin - brought in from Nova Scotia by the French settlers to Louisiana. They loved their fish bouillabaisse, but had to substitute local ingredients.

With the addition of ingredients by the Spanish and Africans, bouillabaisse evolved into Seafood Gumbo.

It has many variations and is a mainstay of New Orleans cooking. Okra, roux or file powder or a combination of all three are used as thickening - CAUTION lab tests have found sassafras which is the main ingredient of file powder to cause liver cancer.

There are loads of different Gumbos, but the basic stew is broth over rice or potato. The rice or potato are traditionally prepared separately and combined in the serving bowl. The broth can contain either seafood, meat or a combination.

So once you have your basic Gumbo sauce recipe, you can add any combinations you like.

The original Seafood Gumbo was made with okra and it is the most common for Louisiana restaurant kitchens.

OK then - here goes.

Serves 6

2 tbspns olive oil
1 cup, 8 oz (225g) chopped onion
1/2 cup, 4 oz (110g) chopped celery
1 cup, 8 oz (225)chopped red and green pepper
8 large okra - sliced
3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed
1 tbspn Worcester Sauce
2 cup size, 14 oz can (400g) peeled plum tomatoes
48 fl oz, 3 pints (1 3/4 litres) fish stock
1 tbspn combination of fresh basil, oregano and thyme
salt to taste
pepper
1 cup, 8 oz (225g) firm white fish, cubed - cod, haddock, monk
1 cup, 8 oz (225g) oysters
1 cup, 8 oz (225g) peeled prawns (shrimp)
1 cup, 8 oz (225g) fresh crabmeat
To serve - boiled white rice

Take a large pot and heat the oil.

Add the onions, celery, peppers and garlic and saute for a few minutes until slightly softened.

Add the okra, worcester sauce, tomatoes and simmer for about 5 minutes.

Add the fish stock, herbs and any juices from the fish - eg oyster liquor -bring to the boil and taste. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Allow the pot to simmer for about 20 minutes - skim off the liquor before adding the seafood.

Add the fish and allow to cook through - approx 5 minutes.

Put warm cooked rice into a bowl and serve your finished Seafood Gumbo over it.

The addition of crusty bread, potato salad or sweet potatoes would make this into a really hearty meal.

Noodle Soup

Serves 4

1 ¾ pints (1 litre) chicken stock
12 oz (350g) egg noodles
2 tbspns dried prawns – soaked in water per instructions on the packet
1 tbspn yellow bean paste
1 tbspn soy sauce
4 oz (100g) Szechuan hot pickle
½ tspn sugar
chopped spring onions to garnish

Bring the stock to the boil and add the noodles. Cook until nearly tender.

Drain and rinse the prawns and add to the noodles.

Add the bean paste, soy sauce, sugar and pickle and simmer for 5minutes.

Serve garnished with the spring onions.

Prawn (Shrimp) and Aubergine (Eggplant) Soup

Serves 4

1 onion – peeled and chopped
1 clove garlic – peeled and crushed
1 red chilli – deseeded and chopped
3 tbspns oil
2 ripe tomatoes – peeled and diced
1 pint (600ml) water
1 tbspn soy sauce
1 aubergine (eggplant) – diced
6 oz (150g) cooked peeled prawns (shrimp)
1 tspn sugar

Heat the oil and gently fry the onion, garlic and chilli until soft.

Add the tomatoes and cook until they are pulpy – about 10 minutes.

Add the water, soy sauce, sugar and aubergine (eggplant) and simmer for15 minutes.

Add the prawns to heat through and serve immediately.

Prawn and Corn Chowder

Serves 4

2 tbspn olive oil
1 onion – peeled and finely chopped
1 green pepper – deseeded and finely diced
1 lb (450g) potatoes – peeled and diced
1 ½ pints (900ml) fish stock
12 oz (350g) white fish fillets – skinned, boned and cut into chunks
8 oz (225g) cooked peeled prawns
1 10 oz (27gg) can sweetcorn – drained
salt and pepper to taste
chopped parsley to garnish
prawns to garnish

Fry the onion and pepper gently until softened

Add the potatoes and coat with oil. Pour in the stock and simmer for 10minutes or so until the potatoes are tender.

Add the fish and simmer a further 5 minutes.

Add the prawns and sweetcorn and heat through for about 2 minutes.

Taste and adjust the seasoning.

Serve garnished with parsley and a few whole prawns – a spoon of doublecream, yoghurt or crème fraiche is good with this too.

Prawn Bisque

Serves 4

1 ½ lb (675g) cooked prawns in their shell
2 tbspns olive oil
2 onions – peeled and chopped
1 large carrot – peeled and chopped
2 celery sticks – chopped
3 ½ pints (2 litres) water
squeeze of lemon juice
2 tbspns tomato puree
bouquet garni
2 oz (50g) butter
2 oz (50g) plain flour
4 tbspns brandy
¼ pint (150ml) cream
salt and pepper to taste
parsley to garnish
few whole prawns to garnish

Peel the prawns and set to one side in the fridge.

Heat the oil in a saucepan and add the heads and shells of the prawns.

Cook for about 3 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the onions, carrot and celery and fry for 3 minutes – stirring frequently.

Add the water, lemon juice, tomato puree and bouquet garni. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 25 minutes.

Strain the stock through a sieve.

Melt the butter in a pan and stir in the flour. Cook for a couple of minutesand then add the brandy.

Pour in half the prawn stock and whisk until it’s smooth.

Add the rest of the stock and whisk again.

Taste and season.

Simmer for 5 minutes – stir occasionally.

Add the cream and the prawns – heat through.

Serve garnished with a few prawns and chopped parsley.

Salt Cod Soup

Serves 4

1 lb (450g) salt cod
3 tbspns oil
2 onions – peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic – peeled and crushed
1 stick celery – finely chopped
¼ tspn dried thyme
1 tbspn chopped parsley
1 14 oz (400g) can peeled chopped Italian plum tomatoes
5 fl oz (125 ml) white wine
2 potatoes – peeled and diced
1 ¾ pints (1 litre) water or fish stock
chopped parsley to garnish

Cover the salt cod in water and soak for 36 hours – change waterfrequently – keep refrigerated during this time.

Drain and dry – cut into pieces, removing skin and bones.

Heat the oil in a pan, add the onions and garlic and cook until softened.

Add the celery, thyme and parsley and cook for about 2 minutes.

Add the tomatoes, wine and water/stock and cook for a further 10 minutes.

Add the potatoes and the fish and simmer for about 1 hour.

Stir in the parsley and season with pepper.

Part 5 of this eCourse covers stock, thickening, serving suggestions, how to cope with fish smells plus recipes from Seafood Bisque through to Vietnamese Fish Soup.

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Bye for now

Liz