Garlic Seafood Soup
- Cuisine: American
- Course: Main Course, Soup
- Features: Gluten-Free, Fast
Summary:
This delicious entree soup owes its complex flavor in part to -- of all things -- banana. It breaks down during the cooking, which helps to thicken the broth, but not before bestowing a sweet-sour taste and its fragrance. Speaking of which, there's also a fair amount of garlic, but what do you expect from a grand champion winner of the Gilroy (Calif.) Garlic Festival?
Most of the time this recipe requires is for chopping, some or all of which could be done in advance. Serve with crusty bread.
4 servings
Ingredients:
- 3/4 pound mussels
- 3/4 pound clams
- 3/4 pound red snapper fillets (may substitute grouper fillets)
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 1/4 cup grated ginger root (about 2 ounces)
- 1/2 cup finely minced sweet onion (about 1 small onion)
- 1/2 cup finely minced garlic (about 1 head)
- 1/2 medium red bell pepper, diced
- 1/2 medium yellow bell pepper, diced
- 1 small tomato, seeded and diced
- 2 limes (1 juiced for broth, 1 cut into wedges for garnish)
- 1/4 cup clam broth
- 3/4 teaspoon saffron
- 1 cup coconut milk
- 1 1/2 tablespoons finely chopped cilantro
- 1 small whole jalapeño chili pepper
- 1 small banana, peeled and thinly sliced
- Salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
Directions:
Rinse and, if necessary, de-beard the mussels by removing any strings that protrude from the shells. Scrub the clams (if they feel gritty, soak them in salted ice water). Cut the red snapper into 2-inch pieces. Set the seafood aside.
In a large nonstick skillet over medium heat, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add the ginger, onion and half the garlic, stirring constantly. When the mixture becomes fragrant, after about 1 minute, increase the heat to medium-high and add the bell peppers and tomato. Cook for 5 minutes. Turn the heat to low and cover.
Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high heat. Add the remaining garlic, 1 to 2 tablespoons lime juice, the clams, mussels and clam broth. Cover the pan and cook for 7 minutes. Discard any clams and mussels that did not open while they cooked.
Add the saffron, coconut milk, red snapper, half the cilantro, the jalapeno chili pepper, banana and the bell-pepper mixture from the skillet, stirring to combine. Cover and cook for 6 to 8 minutes. Discard the jalapeno and add salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle with the remaining cilantro and serve with lime wedges.
Recipe Source:
Ginger Moreno of Rancho Palos Verdes, Calif., came up with this recipe for the 2004 festival.
E-mail the Food Section with recipe questions.
(Julia Ewan)
