Coconut Red Curry Shrimp Soup

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Ingredients

for the homemade shrimp stock

1 teaspoon olive oil

4 cups shrimp shells (from 2 pounds of shrimp fresh or frozen)

1 unpeeled red onion, sliced

1 organic carrot, sliced

1 organic celery, sliced

2 tablespoons tomato paste (or 1/4 cup leftover rich tomato sauce)

3 garlic cloves, smashed

1 sprig parsley

1 sprig thyme

1 sprig chives

1 sprig oregano

1 -2 bay leaf

1/8 teaspoon fennel seed

black pepper

6 cups water (or enough to cover)

for the shrimp soup

½ lb raw shrimp, peeled

2 Tbsp coconut oil, divided

½ medium onion, diced

1 small head broccoli, chopped into florets

2 tsp minced garlic

2 tsp minced ginger

5 Tbsp thai red curry paste*

1 ½ cups shrimp stock** (set aside ¼ cup)

2 cans (13.5oz) full-fat coconut milk

1 Tbsp fish sauce

2 tsp lemongrass

1 red pepper, de-seeded and sliced thin

½ tsp sea salt + additional, to taste

fresh ground black pepper, to taste

For serving:

¼ cup chopped scallions

2 Tbsp chopped cilantro

½ lime, sliced into 4 pieces

for serving: 1 batch cauliflower rice

 

Directions

for the shrimp stock

  1. In a stock pot heat olive oil. Add shells and cook till they turn pink up to 10 minutes to intensify the flavor.

  2. Add remaining ingredients except the water.

  3. Cover and cook for about 10 minutes the longer you can draw this process out, the more of the natural juices of the scraps will be released. This is awesome flavoring. Add just a pinch of salt to speed the process.

  4. Cover with water bring just to a boil: lower heat to simmer for 20 minutes.

  5. Strain into a container extracting out all the goodness from the scraps.

  6. Cool completely and freeze or use as you like.

for the shrimp soup

  1. If you’d like to serve the dish with cauliflower rice, do that first. Prepare the cauliflower riceand pop it in the oven before you start on the soup. This soup is super quick to come together - make sure you have all your ingredients measured out, chopped and diced before you start, because it goes quickly!

  2. Combine the coconut milk, 1 ¼ cups of the broth, fish sauce, and lemongrass in a small bowl. Whisk until any lumps in the coconut milk are broken up. Set aside.

  3. Head a medium/large soup pot with 1 Tbsp coconut oil. Once the pan is hot, carefully add the shrimp, then cook for about 1-2 minutes on each side (depending on their size), until the outsides are seared and pink but the inside isn’t completely cooked through yet. Remove the shrimp from the pan and set aside.

  4. In the same soup pan, heat the second Tbsp coconut oil and add in the onions, ginger and garlic, plus a small pinch of salt. Sauté over medium heat for about 5 minutes until the onions start to become translucent. Stir every minute or so, so the onions don’t burn.

  5. While the onions are cooking, steam the broccoli. I like to do this in the microwave so it’s super quick. Put the broccoli in a microwave-safe dish with about ¼ cup of your broth, put a top on it, and set the microwave for 5 minutes. Allow the dish to cool while you’re making the rest of the soup.

  6. After the onions are translucent (about 5-6 minutes), stir in the curry paste for about 30 seconds, then whisk in the mixture of coconut milk, broth, lemongrass, fish sauce, and ½ tsp sea salt, until well combined. Turn the heat to medium low and cook for about 5 minutes, then add in the red peppers and broccoli and turn the heat down to a simmer. Cook an additional 5 minutes.

  7. Taste to adjust salt and pepper. Finally, add the shrimp in just to warm them before you’re ready to serve.

  8. The cauliflower rice should be finished cooking in the oven, and lightly toasted by this point. Pull it out of the oven, and assemble your soup bowls: Ladle the curry soup with broccoli and peppers into each bowl, and scoop a bunch of cauliflower rice smack dab in the middle of the soup. Garnish each bowl with chopped cilantro, scallions, and a slice of lime (to be squeezed over the whole thing)!

Recipe adapted from The Real Food Dietitians