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Seafood Soup

4.25 from 40 votes
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes
Yield 6 servings
Category Main Dish
Cuisine American/Italian
Author Lauren Grant

Description

Light and delicious, this brothy fish soup is surprisingly easy to pull together. Make this for a cozy night in, fun dinner parties, or the holidays! Depending on how many you're serving, this soup can easily be doubled or halved. 

Ingredients

  • 1 leek, white and light green parts only
  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter or extra-virgin olive oil + more for serving
  • 1 fennel bulb, trimmed, halved and thinly sliced, fronds reserved
  • 1 small white onion, chopped (1 cup)
  • 2 large celery ribs, diced (¾ cup)
  • Kosher salt and black pepper
  • 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano, or 1 ½ teaspoons dried
  • 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme, or 1 ½ teaspoons dried
  • ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1 cup dry white wine, such as Sauvignon blanc
  • 4 cups low-sodium seafood stock or chicken broth
  • 8 ounces bottled clam juice
  • 2 dried bay leaves
  • 1 pound firm white fish,* cut into 1-inch chunks
  • 1 pound medium (41-50 count) raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
  • 1 pound scallops, feet removed
  • 1 pound mussels or clams
  • ¼ cup chopped parsley
  • 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
  • Crusty bread or ciabatta croutons for serving *

Instructions

  • Halve leek lengthwise and cut into ¼-inch-thick slices; transfer to a large bowl and cover with cold water. Shimmy leek slices around in water; let rest 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon or spider (or hands) strain leeks from water, being careful not to kick up dirt at bottom of bowl.
    chopped leeks in a large metal bowl filled with water
  • Heat butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. 
  • Add leek, fennel, onion, and celery; season with ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 8–10 minutes.
    sliced onions, leeks and fennel in a large pot
  • Stir in garlic, oregano, thyme, and red pepper flakes and cook 1 minute.
    spices and herbs added to a pot of softened onions, leeks and fennel
  • Deglaze with wine, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in broth, 4 cups water, clam juice and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer and cook 10 minutes.
  • Season white fish with salt and pepper.
  • Stir in shrimp and mussels, then arrange fish and scallops on top of stew, cover, reduce heat to medium-low (if your stove runs hot, reduce the heat to low), and simmer until mussels open and fish, scallops and shrimp are firm and opaque, about 5 minutes.
    chunks of fish, scallops, mussels and shrimp in a large pot of broth
  • Discard bay leaves and stir in parsley, 2 tablespoons chopped fennel fronds, and lemon juice; season with salt to taste (at least 1 teaspoon, I add 1 ½ teaspoons)
  • Off heat, stir in a tablespoon of butter or drizzle servings with olive oil (optional). 

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Notes

Firm white fish: cod, haddock, halibut, red snapper, or sea bass will all work here.
Potatoes: if you'd like to add potatoes, I recommend using red new potatoes cut into 1/2-inch pieces. Add them right before adding the broth.
Scallops: you can use whatever size you like I prefer 10/20 or 20/30 for ease of serving and eating. If you would prefer bay scallops, you can use those, though keep in mind they will cook faster. Add them 2 minutes after the other seafood has been added. 
Butter or olive oil: I like to cook the vegetables in butter and finish the soup with olive oil. You can use either or both!
To make ciabatta croutons: heat oven to broil with rack set 6-inches from heating element. Cut ciabatta into ½-inch cubes (I do about ¾ cup per person) and toss with extra-virgin olive oil to coat; season with salt and pepper. Broil, tossing occasionally, until golden brown, about 5 minutes.

Nutrition

Serving: 1/6 of the recipeCalories: 374kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 51.5gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 3.5gCholesterol: 165mgSodium: 1602mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2g
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