Faith Middleton's Food Schmooze

Alex Province’s Seafood Soup with Sherry Wine

Servings

4-6people

Servings

4-6people

Ingredients

2-3tablespoons olive oil or butter
3 carrots(use 1 for the broth and the others, medium-diced for the soup)
1 onion
2-3 celery stalks(use 1 for the broth and the others, medium-diced for the soup)
Discarded shells from a lobster, shrimp or both
2strips bacon
1 bay leaf
1tablespoon tomato paste
2-3quarts water
2ounces sweet sherry(Chris likes Harvey’s Bristol Cream)
salt and pepperto taste
2-3pounds potatoes, new or Yukon Gold
1cup corn
1-2pounds seafood(whatever looks good, but hearty enough to hold up such as cod, halibut, monkfish, scallops, shrimp, or lobster)
drizzle heavy cream
Italian flat leafed parsleyfor garnish

Instructions

To make a the broth, add the olive oil or butter to a heavy-bottom stock pot. Add finely chopped carrots and onions, celery, the shells, bacon, and a scoop of tomato paste. Sauté the ingredients for a few minutes and add a bay leaf (or two, if you like). Add the sweet sherry to loosen any brown bits from the bottom of the pot, and then add the water.
Cover the pot and let the liquid gently simmer for about 30-45 minutes. Stir it, taste it, and add salt and pepper to taste.
When the broth is where you want it to be, strain it to remove the shells. Then, add nicely diced potatoes, medium-diced carrots and celery, and the corn, (for color and round out the soup). As a final step, add a beautiful piece of fish, lobster or shrimp to the soup and allow to gently cook just until perfectly opaque. Right before serving, add a drizzle of heavy cream and another splash of sherry, if you like.