A good seafood soup needs the finest ingredients.
Seafood soup runs the gamut from a simple rustic peasant dish, made with whatever was caught that day, to elegant cream-based bisques served at a formal dinner party. The quality of these soups depends on the quality of the ingredients, perhaps more so than with other soups. Use fresh fish -- not frozen -- if possible, and of course the freshest vegetables. Add this to my Recipe Box.
French
Bouillabaisse is a classic fish soup credited to be from Marseilles. The recipe varies from restaurant to restaurant, with every cook seemingly having their own favorite. It is not a defined recipe, but rather depends on what is fresh at the fish monger that day. White firm-fleshed fish is combined with crab, shrimp, lobsters, clams and mussels. The fish is cooked in a fish broth made from scraps of fish, fish heads and shells. Chicken stock could be used, but the soup won't have the richness and ocean sweetness of fish stock. Bisque is a cream-based soup fortified with a shot of good sherry right before serving. Crab or lobster is cooked in fish stock. Clean the meat from the shells. Strain the stock, reduce and thicken it with cream. Add the meat back to the soup.
Italian
While the French have bouillabaisse, the Italians have cioppino, which relies on more tomatoes and garlic than its French counterpart. The coast of Italy is rich in mussels, so it's not a surprise that mussels find their way into mussel soup. One simple popular recipe calls for onions and garlic sauteed in olive oil. Add 1/2 cup of white wine or fish broth with the mussels in their shells. Cover and cook until the mussels open. Sprinkle with chopped parsley and a squeeze of lemon juice.
American
The battle for top chowder still rages between Manhattan clam chowder and New England clam chowder. Manhattan is tomato based, spicy and includes a variety of vegetables. New England is cream based and includes potatoes and sometimes, but not always, corn. Oyster stew is more of a soup than its name would have you believe. Briny oysters are added to a cream-enriched broth. Gumbo is another soup that originated based on what was caught that day, whether it had feathers, fins or feet. The soup starts with a roux, a butter and flour-based sauce. Chicken, pork and often spicy sausage are added to the roux with broth and cooked until the flavors meld and the meat is done. Shrimp is added during the last few minutes of cooking so it's not over done.
Asian
Clear broth with shrimp, vegetables and herbs served over noodles is a mainstay of Asian cuisine, including Thai, Chinese and Japanese. Hot-and-sour soup is spicy shrimp soup with tofu, carrots, mushrooms and peas, flavored with ginger and cilantro. The Japanese use miso to give their seafood soups a distinctive taste. Thai soups often add lemongrass for a hint of citrus.
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