The Most Luscious Seafood Soup

The most incredible seafood soup you'll want to make every weekend.

A Note from Teri

If you’re planning a celebration dinner or a lovely dinner party for four, my luscious Seafood Soup is an absolute stunner. It’s also the kind of dish that’s absolutely perfect for a Sunday, when you feel like fussing a bit.

Starting with the very best seafood you can find is what makes this bowl of deliciousness truly shine. I prefer a combination of muscles, scallops, and shrimp, but this soup would also work well with lobster. There are a number of different types of scallops, and if you can get Nantucket scallops, they’re small and sweet--a gorgeous and graceful addition to this aromatic soup. I’m lucky to have Dirk’s Fish in Chicago and its flagship in Lakeside, Michigan.

Most of the labor for this soup is in the prep. Shellfish must be cleaned properly. The shrimp need to be deveined, and the mussels must be soaked and scrubbed, and then you have to pull off the beard. The scallops need to be washed and dried and laid out on paper towels or towels to fully dry. Then the rest of the prep involves a lot of chopping! It is a labor of love.

The broth starts with sautéing the aromatics, including green onion, garlic, and chopped red chard stems. This combination helps build the depth of flavor. If you’ve never tried red chard, it’s an absolutely spectacular green, subtly nutty, mild, and far less bitter than most greens. I pull the gorgeous leaves from the stems, finely chop the stems, and toss them in with the aromatics. Some people toss the chard stems because they are thick and fibrous, but they soften up very nicely when cooked. I julienne the red chard leaves and layer it into the soup.

Then you add the chicken broth—ideally homemade, but you can certainly purchase a lovely broth—and some coconut milk. Red curry paste, if you can find it, elevates the flavor even more. I prefer the Thai Kitchen brand of curry, because it quite simply tastes better. I add a sprinkle of sugar, and a splash of fish stock or Braggs. Add your greens and other chopped additions, and it takes about five minutes to cook.

It is so wonderful, warming, and delicious, especially served with just a little bit of rice. If you’re having a party, this soup is the only thing you need to make! Serve it with a magnificent dessert and consider a very simple, light hors d’oeuvre, because the truth is, this soup is expensive, it’s delicious, and it’s what you want your favorite eaters to focus on.

I love it when I can find lime leaves to add to the soup, because they’re a little bit hard to find, even in Chicago. I’ve tried lemongrass instead. I never shy away from an ingredient that I don’t know about! I don’t mind a bit of trial and error, and it’s important to know that it’s ok to get it wrong sometimes. But with this particular recipe, I’ve gotten it right for you, so you can simply dive in. If you’ve never cooked with lemongrass, it’s good to know that they are kind of woody on the outside, so you want to find the tender insides. Some people whack it, some people chop it, but I remove the hard leaves until I get to the center toward the base where there’s a tender middle. The combination of these ingredients is truly delectable.

Is your mouth watering yet?

Ingredients

3-4 pounds seafood (typically I use mussels, peeled and deveined shrimp, and scallops, but use your favorites)

1 large bunch red Swiss chard

2 tablespoons avocado or olive oil

5 green onions, finely chopped (reserve some for garnish)

3 tablespoons cilantro, minced and divided

4 garlic cloves, minced

1-2 small Thai chilis, deseeded and thinly sliced

1-2 tablespoons red curry paste, or more if you want

3 cups chicken stock, divided

1-2 cans unsweetened coconut milk, shaken thoroughly

2 kaffir lime leaves (if you can find them) or 1-2 lemongrass stalks

1-2 tablespoons lime juice

1 tablespoon fish sauce (If you don’t have fish sauce, you can substitute tamari or coconut aminos, or Bragg’s Liquid Aminos.)

1 tablespoon brown sugar

1 large carrot, thinly sliced

2 tablespoons fresh basil, minced

Kosher salt, to taste

Instructions

1. Wash and scrub the mussels. Wash the shrimp and scallops and lay them on a paper towel- or towel-lined sheet tray and gently pat them dry.

2. Remove the red Swiss chard leaves from the stems by pinching the bottom-most leaves and pulling the stem out, releasing the leaves. Slice the stems into ¼-inch pieces, or smaller if you can. Roll the chard leaves up then cut them into ribbons. Set both aside separately.

3. To prepare the lemongrass stalks, if using, trim the root end and then peel away the tough, outer layers until you reach the pale, inner core of the stalk. Trim off the green tops then place the lemongrass stalks on a cutting board. Place the flat end of your knife on the stalk and then smash the stalk to release the oils, like you would crush a clove of garlic. Slice the bruised stalk very thinly and set aside.

4. In a large Dutch oven or soup pot (the biggest you have), heat the oil and sauté the red Swiss chard stems, lemongrass stalk, green onions, half of the cilantro, garlic, and the Thai chilis for about two minutes.

5. Dissolve the curry paste in 1 cup chicken stock and add it to the pot.

6. Add 1 can coconut milk, the lime leaves or juice, and fish sauce, if using, then bring to a simmer. Add the brown sugar and stir to dissolve.

   *Tip: I blend the coconut milk in a jar with an immersion blender or in a traditional blender.*

7. Add remaining chicken stock and/or coconut milk, depending on how brothy you want it. I add another can of coconut milk and another 2 cups of stock.

8. Add carrots and cook for a couple of minutes.

9. Layer in the swiss chard leaves followed by all of the mussels, shrimp, and scallops in the pot. Cover and cook for about 5-7 minutes until the mussels are open and the seafood is gently cooked. If the mussels are very big you can cook them for a minute or two before you add the shrimp and scallops. If the scallops are very small, you can add them a minute later.

10. Uncover the pot for 5 minutes and see how many mussels are open at that point and if the scallops and shrimp are cooked through. Be careful not to overcook the seafood! Likely the seafood is done and perfect but if they need more time, leave on the stove uncovered for a minute or two more and give the pot a good shake. Turn the heat off and throw away any mussels that didn’t open.

11. Serve with the remaining cilantro, basil and green onion on the side at the table. You can serve as a soup with some crusty bread alongside or over rice.

12. If there’s any leftovers, store in a mason jar in the fridge. This is absolutely delicious as a leftover and is amazing the next day!

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