Seafood soup with smoked and prawns

It is being an atypical winter in Madrid, some days it is freezing cold and others almost spring temperatures, but despite all this January is being the month of soups at home. At night and as degreasing for Christmas we have decided to have a good and light dinner, and what better than a good soup to spend the night. Last week I decided on an  onion soup  and a Galician broth , the weekend some vegetable soups and some garlic soups , and yesterday I tuned the latter with part of a fish broth that I had in the freezer, with a result Awesome. One day I have to take a picture of my freezer for you to see, I think it would break all the organization records, everything fits like the Tetris pieces.

Today’s soup is based on one of the most humble and famous recipes of Spanish gastronomy: garlic soups or Castilian soup, made simply with garlic, bread, paprika, water and a little ham. I have replaced the smoked ham and some ling roe and the water for a fish fumet made with monkfish, heads and the body of some shrimp, imagine the result. I have reduced the amount of garlic so that its flavor does not eat all that of the fish, the result can be seen perfectly, the first tablespoon of soup already puts the heat in the body and transports you to the edge of the port. This comfortable soup deserves a place on your weekly fall and winter menu, I hope you enjoy it.

Preparation of the seafood soup

1. We slice the smoked marlin and tuna loins, cutting into small strips. In the same way we proceed with the ling roe and grate the piece that you have cut until it is similar to the Parmesan cheese that is added to the pasta. We reserve the roe until the end, it will be our secret for a twelve-point soup.
2. Peel and fillet the garlic, it does not need to be very fine. Garlic must give odor and also provide the emulsion between water and oil for the soup to be excellent. We reserve in a bowl.
3. We choose a large casserole, heat the extra virgin olive oil in the bottom and introduce the garlic. Sauté until they start to take on a golden color (but be careful that they do not get caught) and also add the smoked ones cut into small strips. Stir with a wooden spoon in an enveloping manner until the flavors are well combined.
4. When the garlic is toasted honey color, add 6 slices of hard bread and give it a few laps. We remove the casserole from the heat and sprinkle with the sweet paprika and a touch of spicy paprika (the latter who likes that touch of picatón in the soup, to taste). The paprika fulfills a double function: it colors the bread red and also provides aroma. It is important to do it with the casserole out of the fire to avoid that the paprika burns and that everything is left with an unpleasant bitter taste that would spoil the soup.
5. We remove everything well and that the oil is combined with the garlic, the smoked ones, the hard bread and the paprika. We put the casserole back on the fire, always low since the trick of this soup is that the broth never starts to boil during the cooking process. We fry everything for 2-3 more minutes and without stopping stirring we add the fish stock (if you don’t have it you can add a brick of stock already made). It can be done only with water, it will be very similar but with a less powerful sea flavor. We add the frozen prawns directly to the soup and cook over moderate heat for about 20 minutes, in that time it is not necessary to stir the soup.
6. After 20 minutes we add the rest of the bread, the other 6 slices that we have previously toasted with a little olive oil. We place on the surface and let them float until they soften. Add salt (little because it has smoked salted and we are going to give it a touch with the roe that are also salty) and freshly ground black pepper. Taste the broth before adding the salt since depending on the amount of smoked and how salty it may not be necessary.
7. In this case I did not add it, but you can add egg to the soup, it will go with pearls. To do this, we break the eggs and add them to the soup just before removing from the heat, allowing to set for 2-3 minutes, the egg will remain either in the form of a spun egg or poached pieces. I usually add one egg per diner, another option is to separate the whites and add only these to the soup and the yolk, then put it on each plate. When we add the soup to the bowl the yolk mixes with the broth and is delicious.

Once done we serve in bowls, these that you can see in the photo are beautiful, we fill them with the super hot broth and sprinkle with the ling roe. Delicious, you have my word. Take advantage!

They are made very fast and their elaboration is super simple. A very complete soup that you can tune as you like. You can add other smoked meats such as cod or trout, diced fish (bonito, hake or monkfish do very well), etc.

Be sure to enjoy all the recipes for fish and seafood that we have on the blog, I assure you that you will find a lot of ideas to make yours much happier.

Ling roe, gourmet flavor direct from the sea

• The Maruca or Rosada is a fish similar to cod that lives in rocky and deep marine waters. Its roe is highly prized for salting for its softness. In Spain it is extracted in very different coastal points, but it is in Andalusia and Levante where ling roe is salted and elaborated in an artisanal way, they are introduced for a time in salt and with weight on them to release all the water it contains. The success of the product is based on this process, the exact duration of which is only mastered by the canning masters. Without water, the pieces are hung in the sun dryers until they are commercialized.
• They are very special, different from other fish, for their consistency and taste. They have a fleshy and at the same time tender texture, not rubbery, thus differentiating themselves from what is usual. As for the flavor, it treasures its own salting and a deep sea flavor, in this case a little lower in salt thanks to its skin that will prevent the resulting flavor from being excessively salty, leaving it with a more natural flavor, juicy and very soft. Its appearance as you can see in the photo is a flattened pale pink color.
• I have already prepared some other recipe with this ingredient, in rice it is very good, and as a sea flavor enhancer in a salad you cannot imagine it, it is convenient to eat them together with some dried fruit such as raw almonds or some mashed pine nuts, a very typical way of the Levante area, specifically Murcia. Also on toasted toast with grated tomato and a very thin flakes, a real spectacle.
• And I anticipate your emails, they can be purchased in the main distribution chains, proximity supermarkets and large stores in Spain.

I leave you with the preparation of a good fish stock or fumet for this recipe