Shrimp soup

Shrimp soup or Sopa de Camarones is a soup I grew up with. My mom makes the best soups, but this one is definitely my favorite. It is also a great way to use your sofrito, and it especially good on a cold winter’s day! We recently had our first snowfall in New York, and it instantly put me in the mood for this yummy comforting soup.

About 25% of American fish consumption is shrimp, making it the most commonly eaten fish in the US. Due to the high demand, much of the shrimp people eat are farm-raised and about 90% of the shrimp we eat is imported from unknown origins. Farm-raised shrimp in Asia, South and Central America use large amounts of antibiotics, disinfectants, and pesticides (which are illegal in US farms), to deal with the overcrowded polluted farms that infect the shrimp with disease. Making it worse, according to a 2014 Oceana study, shrimp in the US is often misrepresented, and consumers are not given the right information about where their shrimp comes from or if it is wild or farmed, with NYC having the highest amount of misrepresented shrimp. Shrimp has also been linked to unethical labor practice in some areas of the world. This is why I never order shrimp out. It is really really important to purchase your shrimp responsibly. Look for wild-caught, in the US and preferably backed by the Marine Stewardship Council. Also, make sure your shrimp is just shrimp. A lot of frozen shrimp contain other additives that are just not necessary. I purchase my shrimp from wholefoods, they have frozen wild-caught shrimp from the Gulf in the USA, and with the shell on.

I promised myself once I started posting my recipes I wouldn’t give too much of a back story and get straight to the recipe lol, but I do think it is important that we understand where our food is coming from and that we are armed with knowledge as a consumer because that is where our power lies. With each purchase we make, we make a difference in practices of how food is raised, caught and delivered to us. Ok, so now that we got that out of the way, let’s get down to the nitty gritty :).

Ingredients:

• 1 lb wild caught shrimp with the shell

• 1/4 Diced Panchetta

• 4-5 cubes sofrito (about 6 tablespoons)

• 2 tbsp EVOO

• 1 tsp adobo (we love Loisa’s adobo)

• 1/4 tsp dried oregano

• 2 oz of tomato sauce (half a small 4 oz can)

• 3/4 cup organic jasmine rice (we love Lundberg brand)

• 1 medium potato cubed (alternately you can use a small piece of calabaza cubed)

• 1 tablespoon capers

• 2 tablespoons sliced olives stuffed with pimento

• 6 cups chicken stock (organic)

• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro

• salt and pepper to taste

• Avocado for garnish - optional but highly recommended

Process:

• Peel and devein shrimp keeping the shells and tails set aside. Place shells and tails in a small pot with enough filtered water to cover, typically about 4 cups. Bring to a boil and then lower to simmer for 20 min.

• While shells are simmering, add 2 tbsp of EVOO to your soup pot and add pancetta. Cook pancetta on medium heat until fragrant and lightly brown.

• Add your cubes of sofrito, stirring with oil to defrost sofrito. Once sofrito has defrosted add your tomato sauce, adobo, oregano, capers, olives, and potatoes and stir. Allow to simmer for a few minutes. Then add rice and stir to incorporate.

• Once shells have finished simmering strain shells and discard while adding the broth to your soup slowly. Add 4 cups of chicken stock (you can also try using a seafood/shrimp broth, we just always used chicken because it was easily available and always had it on hand). Allow rice to cook for 20 minutes.

• Then add the remaining 2 cups of chicken stock, shrimp, and cilantro. Cook until shrimp are pink and cooked through. Salt and pepper to taste.

• Serve topped with avocado and a side of tostones (if you don’t know how to make them, or want to save time they sell them frozen at Trader Joe’s!). You can also add your favorite hot sauce for some extra heat!

If using frozen shrimp allow to defrost completely before removing shells and deveining

Use filter water if possible to make broth and soup

We didn’t have pancetta this day so we used what we had which was sopresatta. Proscuitto would also work great.

The sofrito will defrost quickly. If you do not have sofrito you can chop up 1 small onion, half of a red pepper, and add 4 cloves of garlic.