| Yield | 4 |
|---|---|
| Prep Time | 45 minutes |
| Categories | Soup |
| Yield | 4 |
|---|---|
| Prep Time | 45 minutes |
| Categories | Soup |
Ahhh Caldereida de Peixe, , your tales and spells have wooed me once again. Back in my days living in Montreal's plateau, amidst all the grilling and the smoking and the braising and the frying, the reigning champion of debaucherous culinary exploration remained the Seafood/Fishermans/"I need to splurge on something right now and make myself feel better" soup: The Portuguese Seafood Stew. Yeahhh.
There is a a very elementary soup base to it, after which there are no rules for adding what you like. Make a minimalist version, and do some rehydrated cod and croutons, make it a festival you will talk about for years and add Alaskan crab, Grilled Lobster, Jumbo Shrimp and Nantucket Bay scallops. I like to do a compromise and look for those 5$ mixed seafood bags. They have mussels, shrimp, squid and loads of stuff and it's dirt cheap. Just be warned that if you eat too much of this too fast, your erm, digestion might be affected in the, erm, short term.
1. Get a big old pot and heat some oil at the bottom. Brown the Ham Hock if youve got one and the bay leaf on the bottom for about 5-6 minutes.
2. Now remove and throw in the diced veggies which you will nicely cook for about 10 minutes. Add Garlic sometime during.
3. Now add the white wine, about a quarter bottle and add the tomatoes.
4. Now you want to simmer for 2-3 hours this nice tomato base you've got going. A) Stovetop simmer or B) In the ol' oven at 250 without the lid. I prefer the latter method. Add Ham Hock the last hour to giver a nice smoky hint.
5. Remove from oven. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Insert your seafood into the soup. Cook for another 10 minutes. (Unless you had some crazy squid requiring you to have put it in much sooner).
Serve in nice bowls with some good toasted bread.