Creamy Garlic-Seafood Soup

I made this for Tony a few times last year. I did not blog about it since starting my blog because quiet frankly, it is not a cheap meal to make. I could not make this when I was unemployed and really have not thought about making this since I started working again. I am not sure when I will make this again but at least want to provide you all with the recipe. Of course now that I am writing about it Tony will be asking for it.

I do not eat seafood as most of you all know. Tony does tell me this is by far one of the best seafood soups he has eaten except for the She Crab Soup at this Pirate Themed Restaurant in Charleston. At least my recipe from Cooking light is healthy for him.

The recipe calls for saffron threads. One ounce of saffron threads can run over $100. This falls under the Yeah Fucking Right category. I used ¼ tsp ground ginger in place of the 1/8 tsp saffron threads. You also could use turmeric. The recipe also calls for black snapper filets but you can really use any type of seafood you like. I’ve used cod and tilapia in this recipe. In the past I grilled tilapia one night for Tony and then used the leftovers for this recipe.

Other ingredients that make this recipe a expensive is well…the shrimp, white wine since I do not drink white wine, fresh jalapenos, heaving whipping cream (another item I do not keep in stock), fresh cilantro, fresh lime, and fresh avocado. Excluding the saffron this meal is easily $20 - $30 to make depending on if the fresh ingredients are in season.

Creamy Garlic-Seafood Soup

Yield: 6 servings

Ingredients

8 ounces medium shrimp, shells and tails intact

Cooking spray

2 cups chopped onion

12 garlic cloves, crushed

2 jalapeño peppers, halved

1/4 cup dry white wine (Pinot Grigio)

6 cups water

1 tablespoon butter

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream

1 teaspoon salt, divided

1/8 teaspoon saffron threads, crushed

1 pound black snapper fillets, cut into bite-sized pieces

3 tablespoons small cilantro leaves

1 avocado, peeled, seeded, and chopped

6 lime wedges

Directions
1. Peel and devein shrimp, reserving the shells.

2. Heat a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add shrimp shells (Yes you read right – Shells), onion, garlic, and peppers; sauté 3 minutes, stirring frequently. Add wine to pan; cook 3 minutes or until liquid almost evaporates, stirring occasionally. Add 6 cups water; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 40 minutes or until liquid is reduced to 3 cups; strain over a bowl. Discard solids. Wipe pan clean.

3. Melt butter in pan over medium-high heat. Stir in flour; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually add 1 cup shrimp broth, stirring constantly with a whisk. Stir in remaining 2 cups broth, cream, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and saffron; bring to a boil. Cook 5 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle shrimp and fish evenly with remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt; add to pan. Reduce heat, and simmer 3 minutes or until shrimp are pink and fish flakes easily. Remove from heat. Ladle about 2/3 cup soup into each of 6 bowls; top each serving with 1 1/2 teaspoons cilantro and about 1 1/2 tablespoons avocado. Serve with lime wedges.

CALORIES 305 ; FAT 19.8g (sat 9.2g,mono 7.2g,poly 1.8g); CHOLESTEROL 131mg; CALCIUM 73mg; CARBOHYDRATE 7.1g; SODIUM 528mg; PROTEIN 25g; FIBER 2g; IRON 1.6mg