Monday, December 7, 2009

Hearty Halibut and Scallops Soup


What a great idea to warm your stomach in this late fall cool weather....a nice, spicy and hearty seafood soup made of tender white fish and scallops. This recipe was shared by one of my foodie camarade, Maggie As she was describing the way she had concocted this savoury soup last weekend, my mouth was just salivating and I decided to try it out immediately. This soup is full of good stuff. In fact, you can put almost anything you want.
You just need to play with the spices, if you're an experienced cook. If you're just starting to cook and would love to learn, you can follow this recipe to the tee or experiment as you go. For instance, Maggie would use thyme and bay leaf to enhance the aroma, and used clams and haddock as the main ingredients. Since I didn't have any of these, except for the bay leaf, I used the aromatic herbs: tarragon and mint, and my favorite fish halibut. I even thought I had some frozen shrimps left in my freezer, but ended up using frozen scallops. Since it's a seafood dish, it really is up to you to use the seafood mix of your choice. Although I love salmon, I wouldn't use it for this dish. Its texture and prominent flavour will not blend in the seafood mix. If you feel adventurous, please do feel free to use salmon. I would love to hear from you on how it turned out and which herb and spice mixes you used to balance out the flavours.

Everyone loved it and it's incredibly easy to make.

Preparation: 15 minutes, Cooking time : 10-12 minutes
Recipe "au pif":2 large fillets of halibut (or any white fish of your choice will do)
1/2 lb small to medium sized scallops (either frozen or fresh)
1 tbsp red Thai curry paste
1 tsp red chili paste
2 cups chopped leek
2 cloves garlic, finely minced
1 tbsp freshly minced ginger
2 tomatoes, diced
1 russet potato, diced
1 small pinch of safran
2 1/2 cups of chicken or vegetable stock
ground black pepper to taste
a handful of coarsely chopped mint, to garnish
a handful of coarsely chopped tarragon, to garnish
1 tbsp olive oil

*if using frozen scallops, let them thaw in warm water and strain - pat dry. For added flavour sear scallops in a small frying pan with a little bit of olive oil until all sides are slightly golden - set aside*

In a large sauce pan, heat oil on medium high heat for about 1 minutes.

Add in the leek and stir for about 2 minutes. Then stir in the garlic, ginger, and potatoes for about 2 minutes, until the potatoes are slightly golden on the outside.

Add in the cury paste and stir for another 1 minutes. Throw in the tomatoes, safran and slowly add the chicken/vegetable stock.

Add in the fish and seared scallops.

Add in the fresh herbs (mint and tarragon), black pepper and cover.

Lower heat to medium-low and let it simmer for another 5 minutes.

The fish is cooked when it is white and can easily break apart with the prick of fork.

Serve hot as a main meal or with rice.

Serves 4 people.

Share and enjoy!

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