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Heartwings Love Notes 978 - Simple Fish Soup

Heartwings says, "Sometimes the simple recipes are the most delicious."

One of the staples in our household is a fish soup made very simply and rather quickly, that is a great favorite with my fish loving husband, Stephen. He grew up in Providence Rhode Island, and spent his summers in Narragansett Pier as a boy. When he was quite small his father began to take him with him to Galilee, Rhode Island to some of his favorite places to buy fish. While there they would indulge in raw cherrystones and sometimes oysters, freshly shucked for them and handed over.

As for myself, I never had anything fancy in the way of fish. My mother served it on Fridays as a matter of course, and I don't remember her doing anything much to it but bake it in the oven. Her seasonings were ancient and came out of a set of square white jars with red shaker tops that sat on a wooden rack in the kitchen. After her many years of a pinch of this or that, they were pretty dried out and tasteless. She was a very plain cook and tried to keep us healthy with simple basic food cooked to nourish.

My fish soup starts with some cod purposely left over from another meal. When we buy the fish, we usually get about ¼ pound or so more than what we need. I bake it simply, in coconut milk –found in the health food section of the supermarket in a carton, not a can. Baked at 350 with the coconut milk poured just to surround it, the cod is tasty. I usually bake it 25 to 30 minutes depending on its thickness. After we eat, I save what's left in the cooking fluid and plan to use it within a week or less.

To make my soup, sauté a cup of chopped celery and a cup of chopped onion in 2 tablespoons of butter in a large saucepan. When celery and onion are transparent, add 1 teaspoon each ground garlic granules, lemon pepper, and thyme--to taste. Add 2 cups water, bring to a boil and simmer for about 20 to 30minutes, until vegetables are soft. Add ½ to ¾ cup raw peeled medium shrimp, (tail on is fine) and ½ to ¾ bay scallops. Add reserved cod plus liquid, and another 1 to 2 cups coconut milk. Bring back to a simmer, cook until shrimp turns pink and enjoy! If you wish, you can prepare the base ahead and add fish ingredients just before serving to four or more.

It is so nice to have plans for leftovers, and I wish you happy ways with them.

P.S. Do you have interesting ways to cook fish? Or with leftovers? Care to share? Your comments and what you share make my day. Thanks in advance for writing to me at tashahal@aol.com. For more Lovenotes, visit my website heartwingsandfriends.com.
 

I love to hear from readers and would be honored if you would comment and let me know any suggestions or thoughts. If a friend sent you this, you can sign up at my web site, www.heartwingslovenotes.com, where more love notes can be found in the archives.

Blessings and Best Regards,
Tasha Halpert
 

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