Southeast Asian Seafood Stew
Serves 6 | Prep Time 15 minutes | Cook Time 35 minutes
Annemarie Colbin, PhD, my mentor and founder of New York City’s Natural Gourmet Institute for Health and Culinary Arts (from which I’m a proud alum), has spent her career investigating links between nutrition and longevity. She’s noted that one common denomi- nator among those who live to a ripe old age is being breast-fed in infancy, which confers numerous long-term health benefits. Whether or not that applies to you, this stew can actually offer some of the same protective benefits—along with outrageously great flavor. Notably, luscious coconut milk contains lauric acid, also found in mother’s milk, which strengthens the immune system. Coconut is a key ingredient in Thai cuisine, and one rea- son I love Thai food. In fact, I love it so much that they know me by name at my favorite Thai restaurant, located just down the hill from my house. For me, walking into the Savory Orient is like walking into Cheers (minus Norm). All of the flavors I delight in there make an appearance in this stew: cilantro, chili paste, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves . . . all doing the backstroke around delicious and omega-3-rich fish.
Instructions
Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the shallot and a pinch of salt and sauté until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the ginger, garlic, lemongrass, and kaffir lime leaves. Pour in 1/2 cup of broth to deglaze the pot, stirring to remove any bits stuck to the pot. Cook until the liquid is reduced by half.
Put the chili paste and 1 tablespoon of the coconut milk in a small bowl and stir until well combined. Add to the pot, along with the remaining 3 1/2 cups of broth, the remaining coconut milk, and the fish sauce. Decrease the heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, put the rice noodles in a bowl of hot water and soak until tender, about 8 minutes. Drain well. Stir the sweet potato and mushrooms into the soup and simmer for 6 minutes. Gently stir in the fish and shrimp and simmer until the seafood is tender and cooked through, about 4 minutes, until just opaque. Stir in the noodles, lime juice, and 1/4 teaspoon of salt. Do a FASS check (see page 44); you may want to add a bit of salt and a squeeze of lime juice. Serve garnished with the scallion, basil, mint, and jalapeño.
Variation: For a vegetarian and low-sodium take on this dish, add 5 more shiitake mushrooms and replace the fish and shrimp with 1 pound of extra-firm tofu cut into 1-inch pieces or 1 cup of fresh or frozen shelled edamame, mixed with a spritz of lime juice and a pinch of salt.
STORAGE: Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
PER SERVING: Calories: 390; Total Fat: 19 g (16 g saturated, 1 g monoun-saturated); Carbohydrates: 33.5 g; Protein: 23 g; Fiber: 4 g; Sodium: 715 mg
COOK’S NOTE: Lemongrass is a woody herb that looks like a baton andhas an aromatic lemony flavor. You can find it in the produce section ofwell-stocked grocery stores or at Asian markets. To use lemongrass, cutoff the root end and the grassy top. Peel away the fibrous outer layersto expose the tender layers of the inner stalk. With a sharp knife, finelyslice the lemongrass crosswise starting from the bottom and workingyour way up the stalk.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon coconut oil or extra- virgin olive oil
1 cup thinly sliced shallots or red onion
Sea salt
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh ginger
2 teaspoon finely chopped garlic
1 (6-inch) piece of lemongrass, thinly sliced (see note)
2 kaffir lime leaves, or 1 teaspoon grated lime zest
4 cups vegetable broth, homemade or store-bought
1 (15-ounce) can coconut milk
1 teaspoon Thai red chili paste
1 tablespoon fish sauce
3 1 / 2 ounces rice noodles, broken into 2-inch pieces
1 cup finely diced orange- fleshed sweet potato, such as a garnet yam
10 shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced
1 pound Black cod or halibut, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1 / 4 cup chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish
2 tablespoons sliced scallion, white and green parts, cut thinly on the diagonal, for garnish
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil, preferably Thai basil, for garnish
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint, for garnish
1 small jalapeño chile, seeded and thinly sliced, for garnish