Caldo de Baja
By Tom Gatch
Soups and stews made from fresh seafood are extremely popular along both coasts of the Baja California peninsula. One of the most ubiquitous is often referred to as Sopa Siete Mares, or Seven Seas Soup. Here’s a favorite version of mine that offers an authentic south of the border flavor, which is perfectly suited to a chilly winter evening.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup white onion, finely minced
1/2 cup green Hatch of Anaheim chilis, well chopped.
1 Serrano chili, very finely minced
4 cloves fresh garlic, crushed
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cups dry white wine (Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc, etc.)
1 tbs. fresh lime or lemon peel, grated
1 bay leaf
1 1/2 cups freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tbs. brown or raw sugar
1 bunch fresh cilantro, well chopped
1 tsp. dried oregano leaves, crushed
28 oz. Roma tomatoes, canned, with juice
24 fresh steamer clams, well scrubbed
12 fresh black or green mussels
1 1/2 lbs. large shrimp, raw and shelled
1 lb. white, flakey ocean fish (rock cod, halibut, sea bass) cut into 1 inch chunks.
6 oz. crabmeat (fresh or frozen)
Method:
Cook and stir onion, chiles and garlic in oil in 6-quart Dutch oven until onion is tender. Stir in remaining ingredients except seafood. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Simmer uncovered for 15 minutes.
Add clams and mussels; cover and simmer until clams open, 5 to 10 minutes. (Discard any shellfish that have not opened.)
Carefully stir in shrimp, fish and crabmeat. Heat to boiling; reduce heat. Cover and simmer until shrimp are pink and fish flakes easily with fork, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove bay leaf and serve.
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