Caribbean Seafood Soup
23.10.16
| Recipe by Renz
A delicious coconut-based soup packed with crab, shrimp, mussels, scallops, and
dumplings. Ram packed with flavor, this soup is the perfect supper for a hungry
crowd for either lunch or dinner
We have a great variety of soups here. We make a good any kind of soup really. We just love adding protein, with vegetables and dumplings in a pot to simmer in a flavor-filled base.
This Caribbean seafood soup is jam-packed with flavor and as much seafood that you can think of. Smooth, creamy, and spicy it makes a great soup for a weeknight dinner.
And you need to also check out some cow-heel soup.
Most people initially think that this soup just has fish with vegetables and stock.
My version of seafood soup has different types of seafood and ground provision in a broth with coconut milk and spices. And don't forget the dumplings.
This is unlike my corn soup that has a split pea base.
You can customize the seafood used here to your liking, just make sure they are all things that basically cook around the same time.
A good hearty soup needs some good hearty ingredients. And a good broth needs all the flavors. So your list is going to be a little long.
This soup comes together quickly so I do suggest making sure everything is prepped and ready to go.
The main concept of this soup is to blend all the flavors of the items together.
Using a soup pot that is induction-based ensures that heat is evenly distributed and makes cooking faster. If you don't have an induction, a heavy-bottomed pot will also work.
First I would mix the dough for my dumpling and then set that aside. You are basically combining all the ingredients together, adding water till a stiff dough is formed. If you don't want plain flour dumplings, you can make cornmeal or cassava dumplings instead.
Add your water to your soup pot and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat, then add in your carrots, potatoes, and yam. Make sure that the water covers the vegetables.
While that is boiling, we will prep the seafood.
Take the seasoned crab legs and add to another pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil.
In another pot, add your coconut oil and heat it up on medium heat. Saute onions, garlic, green onions, celery, cilantro, and cilantro on high heat for about 2 minutes. Add the remaining seafood to the pot and saute for another 5 minutes, stirring often.
Also, add the tomato paste and water. Remove the crab from the boiling water and combine it with all the other kinds of seafood.
Lower heat and simmer no more than 7 minutes.
By this time the yam, potatoes, and carrots would be tender, so add the seafood to that pot.
Add coconut milk, sprigs fresh thyme, pepper, and pumpkin to the dish.
Now you can make your dumplings into spinners and add them to the pot and let everything bubble until dumplings float to the top.
Season with salt and black pepper as needed
Caribbean people don't usually pair soups with anything. There's so much already in there. But occasionally I throw a little slice of bread on the side to sap up with.
Some people also like to add some sour cream.
If you want, you can also make this less "soupy" and add some white rice and it could be a fake gumbo.
And I know we all want to get this soup as quickly as possible.
I paired this with some sweet honey bread rounds and sour cream (optional).
And this feast was an amazing one.
This is good for 3 to four days maximum.
Once cooled it can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container.
If you want to extend the life, you can freeze the soup. In freezer bags or in soup containers.
To reheat from frozen, you can leave in the fridge overnight to defrost, heat up on the stove on a simmer till warmed through.
Just be careful of what you're putting it into with those crab legs. They can poke a hole in your Ziploc bag.
Additional seafood: You can also add conch meat to this mix. Or fish (see below) or shrimp. Feel free to adjust your medley to the ones your like. If you do use shrimp, remove the shrimp shells.
Can't find fresh seafood? Those mixed seafood medley packs are also great options to use. Just defrost them prior to cooking and season them up.
If you do not want to use crab in the shell, you can use lump crab meat or canned. Fake crab meat can also be used, but I do not like the taste of it.
Want to include fish? I personally do not like to add fish to this soup. I prefer to have fish by itself in what we would call fish broth or fish soup. But you can add fish here. I would easily use a white fish and add it to this soup. In little pieces, and add them when I'm adding in the dumplings since it won't take too long to cook. And you also don't want it to break up too much.
Ground provision: You can change out the yams or adjust as you see fit. Green bananas, sweet potatoes, and even ripe plantains.
If you plan to make your own coconut milk, which always tastes better than those canned ones, you probably can make it the day before or even up to a few days prior.
You can also season your seafood a day before. Using some green seasoning and some squirts of lime juice.
It is best to use fresh seafood. I use raw shrimp, raw crab legs.
We have a great variety of soups here. We make a good any kind of soup really. We just love adding protein, with vegetables and dumplings in a pot to simmer in a flavor-filled base.
This Caribbean seafood soup is jam-packed with flavor and as much seafood that you can think of. Smooth, creamy, and spicy it makes a great soup for a weeknight dinner.
And you need to also check out some cow-heel soup.
What is seafood soup?
Most people initially think that this soup just has fish with vegetables and stock.
My version of seafood soup has different types of seafood and ground provision in a broth with coconut milk and spices. And don't forget the dumplings.
This is unlike my corn soup that has a split pea base.
You can customize the seafood used here to your liking, just make sure they are all things that basically cook around the same time.
Ingredients
A good hearty soup needs some good hearty ingredients. And a good broth needs all the flavors. So your list is going to be a little long.
- Irish Potato
- Yam
- Garlic
- Carrot
- Celery
- Unsweetened coconut milk
- Scotch bonnet pepper - or any hot pepper can be used. Or if anything some hot pepper sauce.
- Water
- Seafood stock (optional)
- Onion
- Scallion
- Culantro
- Cilantro
- Bell pepper
- Tomato paste
- Seafood: crab legs (or precooked crab legs), clams, shrimp, mussels, lobster, fish.
- Coconut oil
- Salt and black pepper
This soup comes together quickly so I do suggest making sure everything is prepped and ready to go.
The main concept of this soup is to blend all the flavors of the items together.
Using a soup pot that is induction-based ensures that heat is evenly distributed and makes cooking faster. If you don't have an induction, a heavy-bottomed pot will also work.
First I would mix the dough for my dumpling and then set that aside. You are basically combining all the ingredients together, adding water till a stiff dough is formed. If you don't want plain flour dumplings, you can make cornmeal or cassava dumplings instead.
Add your water to your soup pot and bring it to a boil over medium-high heat, then add in your carrots, potatoes, and yam. Make sure that the water covers the vegetables.
While that is boiling, we will prep the seafood.
Take the seasoned crab legs and add to another pot. Cover with water and bring to a boil.
In another pot, add your coconut oil and heat it up on medium heat. Saute onions, garlic, green onions, celery, cilantro, and cilantro on high heat for about 2 minutes. Add the remaining seafood to the pot and saute for another 5 minutes, stirring often.
Also, add the tomato paste and water. Remove the crab from the boiling water and combine it with all the other kinds of seafood.
Lower heat and simmer no more than 7 minutes.
By this time the yam, potatoes, and carrots would be tender, so add the seafood to that pot.
Add coconut milk, sprigs fresh thyme, pepper, and pumpkin to the dish.
Now you can make your dumplings into spinners and add them to the pot and let everything bubble until dumplings float to the top.
Season with salt and black pepper as needed
What to eat this soup with?
Caribbean people don't usually pair soups with anything. There's so much already in there. But occasionally I throw a little slice of bread on the side to sap up with.
Some people also like to add some sour cream.
If you want, you can also make this less "soupy" and add some white rice and it could be a fake gumbo.
And I know we all want to get this soup as quickly as possible.
I paired this with some sweet honey bread rounds and sour cream (optional).
And this feast was an amazing one.
How long is seafood soup good for?
This is good for 3 to four days maximum.
Once cooled it can be stored in the fridge in an airtight container.
If you want to extend the life, you can freeze the soup. In freezer bags or in soup containers.
To reheat from frozen, you can leave in the fridge overnight to defrost, heat up on the stove on a simmer till warmed through.
Just be careful of what you're putting it into with those crab legs. They can poke a hole in your Ziploc bag.
Substitutions
Additional seafood: You can also add conch meat to this mix. Or fish (see below) or shrimp. Feel free to adjust your medley to the ones your like. If you do use shrimp, remove the shrimp shells.
Can't find fresh seafood? Those mixed seafood medley packs are also great options to use. Just defrost them prior to cooking and season them up.
If you do not want to use crab in the shell, you can use lump crab meat or canned. Fake crab meat can also be used, but I do not like the taste of it.
Want to include fish? I personally do not like to add fish to this soup. I prefer to have fish by itself in what we would call fish broth or fish soup. But you can add fish here. I would easily use a white fish and add it to this soup. In little pieces, and add them when I'm adding in the dumplings since it won't take too long to cook. And you also don't want it to break up too much.
Ground provision: You can change out the yams or adjust as you see fit. Green bananas, sweet potatoes, and even ripe plantains.
Tips and tricks
If you plan to make your own coconut milk, which always tastes better than those canned ones, you probably can make it the day before or even up to a few days prior.
You can also season your seafood a day before. Using some green seasoning and some squirts of lime juice.
It is best to use fresh seafood. I use raw shrimp, raw crab legs.