When I was living in Northern B.C. my best friend’s wife (who hailed from Singapore) introduced me to a variety of spicy Southeast Asian delicacies, many with unpronounceable names that brought fire to the tummy and sweat to my brow – dang they were good!
Now that we live in Ottawa there is a huge variety of Asian foods from mild to diablo grade. I LOVE IT!
My Brother-In-Law Vic is a long way from Southeast Asia, but he has a flare for spicy Thai cooking. Here he shares his recipe for Thai Shellfish Soup.
Vic Hodgin’s Thai Shellfish Soup
Ingredients:
- 12 oz raw prawns or large shrimp
- 12 oz firm white fish, such as monkfish, cod or haddock
- 6 oz small squid rings
- 1 tbsp lime juice
- 1 lb fresh mussels
- 15 fl oz coconut milk
- 1 tbsp groundnut oil ( we use canola oil as we cant get groundnut oil)
- 2 tbsp Thai red curry paste
- 1 lemon grass stalk, bruised
- 3 kaffir lime leaves, finely shredded
- 2 tbsp Thai fish sauce
- salt and freshly ground black pepper
- fresh coriander leaves, to garnish
Instructions:
- Peel and devein prawns or shrimp. Pat dry and set aside.
- Skin the fish, pat dry and cut into 1 inch chunks. Place in a bowl with prawns and squid rings. Sprinkle with lime juice and set aside.
- Scrub and clean mussels. Discard any that are open and do not close after tapping. Place in a large soup pot and add 150 ml of coconut milk.
- Cover and bring to a boil, then simmer for 5 minutes, or until the mussels open. Lift out the mussels, discarding any unopened ones. Strain and reserve the liquid.
- Rinse and dry the soup pot. Add the oil and heat. Add curry paste and cook for one minute, stirring all the time. Add the lemon grass, lime leaves, fish sauce and pout in both the strained and the remaining coconut milk. Bring to a very gentle simmer.
- Add the fish mixture to the saucepan and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes or until just cooked. Stir in the mussels, with or without their shells as preferred. Season to taste with salt and pepper, then garnish with coriander leaves. Ladle into warmed bowls and serve immediately.
(This is a reprint of a recipe that appeared in teeswater.ca back in 2012. It was popular then and I bet it will be popular now!– ml)