The SauceTalk Newsletter

The simmering scent of saffron, roasted red peppers and tomatoes finished with tender pieces of fish, crab, scallops, shrimp, and clams fills the air like a bouquet from the sea. It is a rich-tasting, flavorful dish that is easy-to-do and can be enjoyed with a variety of seafood favorites. This is our take on a very special soup that can be enjoyed any time of year.

2     32 oz    Pacific Natural Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup or similar base
1  14.5 oz    Diced tomatoes, canned
1    5.5 oz    V-8 juice, can
1    1.5 oz    Glace de Fruits de Mer (seafood stock) More Than Gourmet***
1       5 oz    Whole baby clams packed in water, can
3                 King crab legs, pre-cooked, thawed
1          lb  Fish, firm white (mahi mahi, swordfish, red snapper) fresh or thawed
18               Raw shrimp, medium sized, deveined, tails on or pre-cooked, thawed
18               Sea scallops, medium size, thawed
Saffron threads
Sriracha sauce or Tabasco sauce, optional***
Dry sherry, optional

1 To prepare the fish, rinse and pat dry with a paper towel then slice into bite size cubes. Prepare the crab legs by cutting each into three or four section at the joint. This may be done with a sharp knife or kitchen shears. Crack the crab leg shells or cut them open with kitchen shears to release the meat. Tear, do not cut the crab meat into bite size pieces. If you prefer you can leave a few sections cracked but do not remove the meat for presentation and easiness for removing the shell at the table. Rinse the raw shrimp making sure it is deveined and the shells are removed except for the tail. Open the can of clams and drain off half the liquid.
2 Combine the first four ingredients into a soup or stock pot over low-medium heat. Stir the ingredients making sure the seafood stock has completely dissolved into the mixture.
3 Increase the heat to medium and add the cubed fish. Lightly stir the ingredients so as not to break the fish but also making sure the soup does not boil. If the shrimp is raw it should be added now as well as the scallops.
4 Lightly stir the soup for 3 minutes then add the crab meat, any whole sections of crab, the clams and the remaining juices from the can. If the shrimp is pre-cooked you can add it now. Stir lightly several times and finish with a pinch or two of saffron threads. (you may crush the threads between your fingers before adding them or leaving them whole for an attractive presentation in the soup).
5 We like to add just a touch of sriracha sauce at this point for a little added spice but this is optional. Start with 3 or 4 drops of saracha and add more to taste. Stir several times and test one fish cube making sure that it flakes for doneness.
6 Plate the soup in individual bowls and serve or pour the soup into a large tureen with ladle to be served at the table.
7 Once the soup has been served each guest can then add one to two tablespoons of sherry to their bowl of soup for an added twist of flavor with a gourmet touch.

Servings: 8

Cooking Tips
***Glace de Fruits de Mer by More Than Gourmet can be purchased online at www.clubsauce.com or it may sometimes be found at a local gourmet or specialty food shop.
***Saracha sauce can be found at most gourmet, specialty and supermarkets in the Asian food section.
Additional serving suggestions: Add 3 or 4 small Yukon gold potatoes that have been quartered and cooked two minutes before serving. (these may be cooked quickly in a microwave oven while the soup is cooking). Consider adding a slice of store bought polenta that has been lightly grilled in place of potatoes after the soup has been placed in each bowl. Serve slices of toasted crunchy French bread along side or French bread that has been topped with a simple mixture of butter and chopped garlic, then sprinkled with Parmigiano cheese and lightly broiled and warm from the oven. Serve asparagus spears roasted in extra virgin olive oil and a light sprinkling of sea salt. These serving suggestions and many more recipes can be found at www.clubsauce.com

Recipe formatted and exported by Living Cookbook from Radium Technologies, Inc.

Welcome to The SauceTalk Newsletter. A blog dedicated to all things Sauce.

Sauces have been around I’m sure since man began roasting food, cooking in some fashion or using vessels to hold liquid. The desire to disguise the burned and often over seared flavors of food cooked over an open flame was a cause for curiosity and experimentation. This then led to adding something “new to the pot” so to speak to what may have been a very boring, burned or dried out and flavorless dish.

Dry seasonings and herbs found in the surrounding area were most likely the first steps in adding flavor to food. That was followed by the use of something fashioned to hold water or the moisture being released during the cooking process which then became a sauce or sorts. Even broad leaves such as banana leaves were used to retain moisture and flavor. Then the ingenious clay pot was created and became the most common type vessel for cooking.

There have been volumes written about the history of food, food styles and types, the cooking process and sauces used and infused from one culture to another through the ages. We would like to continue that discussion and to continue to share because there is always something new evolving in the world of food and something new that we can take away and use to improve our own dishes.

This space is therefore dedicated to sharing recipes and information involving food that we can all enjoy, use and ultimately call our very own.

That said let the posts begin!

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