Recipe — Rainbow Carrot Fish Soup with Spinach

Greetings!

It’s been five months since my last post here. I hope that you are all well … Also wishing you a HAPPY 2016!

Past months have been incredible with lots of exciting and new things going on. Traveling was definitely on my calendar, tasting new food, meeting cool people and listening to their stories. Part of these new adventures and discoveries I’ll share with you here soon, once I’ve organized my photos.

If you are seeking warmth and comfort in these cold winter days, I have the perfect soup to share with you today. Nothing too fancy, just some aromatic and nutritional homey bowls of soup that will make you feel revived after a long tiring day. It will keep the house warm and filled with wonderful blissful scents in the air. Below is my basic recipe for these chilly days.

Hope you enjoy every spoonful! ♥

Rainbow Carrot Fish Soup with Spinach

Ingredients: Serves 4 to 6

Time (for the soup): 45 to 50 minutes

• 6-8 cups homemade fish stock
• 2 cups organic Rainbow carrots washed, peeled and chopped [approx. 7-10 medium carrots]
• 4 cups organic large spinach bunch, washed and chopped
• 3 tbsp organic celery, washed and chopped [approx. 1 stick]
• 2 tbsp organic shallots, peeled and finely chopped [approx. 1 large shallot]
• 10 tbsp organic potato, peeled and chopped [approx. 2 medium potatoes]
• 7 tbsp organic firm plum tomato, washed, seedless, skinless and diced [approx. 2 large tomatoes]
• 5 tbsp organic sweet petite pepper, washed, seedless and chopped [any color approx. 6 pepper]
• ½ tsp organic garlic, peeled and minced [approx. 3 large cloves]
• 2 large bay leaves
• 3 tbsp organic extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra to sauté the fish and shrimp
• Salt to taste, preferably Kosher
• Freshly ground black peppercorns, to taste
• 2 tbsp organic fresh cilantro, finely chopped including stems [to add after finishing sauté the shrimp]
• 1or 2 organic lemons, plus extra slices to garnish the top soup
• 1½ cup peeled, deveined, cooked medium shrimp and tail on [approx. 25 shrimp]
• 2 cups Alaskan True Cod Fillet, firm and skinless , rinsed in cold water, pat and dry with paper towel than cubed (or choose other white fish, that is from sustainable sources. [approx. 0.85 lb or more if you like extra fish]

How to Prepare the Soup:

1. Heat the olive oil with medium heat in a large, heavy soup pot and add shallots, garlic, and sautéed celery, than add potatoes with ½ teaspoon salt and fresh ground black pepper. Cook, stirring until the firsts ingredients are tender, for about five minutes. Add carrots, tomatoes and 2 bay leaves. Cook, stirring, until the mixing is very fragrant for about five more minutes then add the homemade fish stock. Cook stirring often until the ingredients have cooked down a bit and the soup starts to smell aromatic. After 25 minutes add spinach and sweet pepper. Continue cooking on very low heat for about 15 minutes, partially covered, taste and adjust salt and add black peppercorns as desired. Once done, remove from the heat. Also remove the 2 bay leaves.
2. In two separate bowls season the white cubed fish and shrimp with salt, fresh ground black pepper, and ½ teaspoon lime juice toss and let sit for 15 minutes.
3. In a hot, dry and wide non-stick frying pan add 3 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, over-medium high heat, add the fish, sauté for 3 minutes until it’s lightly brown, stirring often with a heat resistant rubber spoon. Squeeze more lemon juice if necessary for flavor, remove from heat.
4. Meanwhile pour in serving bowls topped with fish and in the same non-stick frying pan add 2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil, and sauté the cooked shrimp for 2 minutes until is lightly brown, after that’s done, remove from heat and toss in 2 tbsp of chopped cilantro.
   Continue  scooping up the shrimp with a rubber spoon, finishing to top off all the soup bowls.
5. Garnishing each bowl with slices of lemon and a spinach leaf, served hot. You can eat this soup with crackers, bread, biscuits or other side dish.

Notes: 

• Remember that the soup will thicken as it sits. Leftovers should be placed in a Tupperware (or similar) container and refrigerated. Additional fish stock or water may be added to adjust the consistency of the soup when reheating. This is a very tasty and nutritional soup which is also easy to make. Based on personal preference, if you would like the soup to have more flavor, you can add more chopped shallots, garlic and celery or some more fresh herbs and dried spices. Also you can choose any combinations of types of fish you like. This soup have been made before and this time taste better. I squeeze extra lemon juice when sauté the seafood. The soup had an interesting lemon flavor between spoonfuls.  Homemade fish stock is best; usually my chicken, vegetables, beef, shrimp or fish stock are homemade. It’s kept labeled in my freezer so it’s defrosted over night in the kitchen sink.
• The colors of the soup are natural without any artificial colors because this dish was cooked with four different types of sweet carrots and well combined with other organic vegetables. I found these ingredients at my local Whole Foods market, but can also be found at any local Farmers Market as well. The fish is also from Whole Foods and says certified by: Marine Stewardship Council and shrimp are wild.
• The soup serves 6 medium size bowls as pictured or can possibly serve 4 large bowls for fewer, more hungry guests/persons.
• Preparation time was around 15-20 minutes for me, between washing and chopping the ingredients. It’s always faster if you work with a properly sharpened knife. It’s difficult for me to accurately estimate cooking times as each individual is different.