Clam and Shrimp Stone Soup

Chilly nights have arrived here in the Northeast. It’s that time of year, the time when you get tempted to turn on the heat, but you think you’re supposed to. I solved my temptation with making the season’s first soup, my clam and shrimp stone soup.

5 Start

New England Class

5 Stars

This is one of my family’s favorites. We love seafood and clam chowders. We can never seem to make up our mind on whether we want Manhattan style, Rhode Island style or New England style. So, I developed a recipe that combines the tastes of all three! Then I add whatever else I have that I think will go well with the overall flavors.

This soup is very easy to make, and you may change the portions and ingredients as needed. After all, it is a stone soup (aka sink soup). You use what you have, and it comes out a little different every time. None the less, it’s delicious and hearty. Basically, let the force be with you.

Here is the recipe. You will have a seafood soup full of flavor and comfort. I’ll also show you how to make a fresh, from scratch broth ahead of time, and I will end with some tips.

Ingredients:

• 12 large cut and shredded cherrystone clams (the large ones that are 2 for $1.00)
• 12 large chopped wild-caught shrimp
• 10 cubed tiny purple potatoes – more nutritious and adds awesome color
• 2 chopped spring onions
• 2 large cubed vine tomatoes
• 2 large cloves of garlic smashed and chopped
• one medium cubed purple eggplant
• about 6 chopped asparagus stalks
• fresh lemon juice or 1 cup milk
• small handful fresh dill, chopped
• ground rock salt as needed

Instructions:

1. Fully cook the shrimp in boiling water for about 5 minutes, remove, run under cold water and remove shells. Save the shells!
2. While the shrimp is cooking, scrub and rinse each live clam one by one under cold running water. You want the shells as clean as possible, because you are going to save the water from steaming the clams.
3. Fill a large steamer pot about 3 to 4 inches from the bottom, and bring it to a roaring boil A little more water works best, because we want to ensure we have enough broth. Remember, these clams are going into soup. They are not being served alone steamed. Therefore, if the bottom clams are slightly submerged in water, that is okay.
4. Place the shrimp shells and then the clams in the steamer basket. Let steam for about 5 to 7 minutes. A tell-tale sign of when the clams are done is when the water foams and rises to the top.
5. Remove the basket and set aside the steamed clams. The water left in the pot is the broth. See! Making the broth was easy, and the soup will taste wonderful. Fill the pot about half way with more water. You can use a cup of milk if you like instead of using lemon in the soup. I ended up opting for the milk this time.
6. Bring the pot of broth to a simmer. While the broth is heating, chop, shred and cube the ingredients. Once you’re done, place the ingredients in the pot. Let the soup simmer for at least an hour.
7. Salt to taste. I use Celtic sea salt, Hawaiian black salt or Himalayan pink salt. All three have trace elements that are good for you, and they have less sodium than refined table salt.

I served my soup with dense buttery oyster crackers. Of course, some nice artisan bread would go well with this soup. If you look at the photo, you can see tiny orange spheres. That is salmon roe (salmon fish eggs). They add great flavor to the soup. You may want to garnish yours with the roe too. (It’s my secret ingredient.) Also, if you like bacon in clam chowder, feel free to add fully cooked shredded bacon to yours. The salmon roe is very salty. So, I made mine without. My husband ended up pouring in a ton of hot sauce. It’s up to you. Lastly, if the soup is looking a little gray, you can add a teaspoon of either turmeric or paprika powder, just enough to add a little color but not make the soup taste different. Enjoy.