Cremoso Caldo de Camaron (Creamy Shrimp Soup)

You might remember when I made the Shrimp Soup, Caldo de Camaron, from a few weeks back. You also might remember how I told you it was so good but too spicy for me (I admit freely to being a wimp). Well, the idea, and the version I had at our favorite Mexican restaurant, was too good to let slip by without a second glance so I am going a second take on the soup from before.

Here’s what I knew to be the only problem, in my eyes anyway, it was too spicy. Flavor wise it is wonderful but heat wise it was a tad too spicy for me. I would like to point out though that Baby Cakes loves spicy food so he was in heaven, but I being the wimp that I am (again, not ashamed) it needs to be toned down a bit. How to tone it down was my next question. Simple, add starch and creamy elements. Easy enough to do, below is how I did it…


Cremoso Caldo de Camarón (Creamy Shrimp Soup)
slightly adapted from Caldo de Camaron

2 tablespoons chipotle in adobo sauce
1 onion, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic
28 ounces fire-roasted tomatoes
2 medium carrots, diced
4 cups butternut squash, peeled and cubed
4 cups frozen hash brown potatoes, thawed
1 tablespoon chicken bouillon paste
2 tablespoons crab boil seasoning
1 pound cleaned frozen shrimp
8 ounces sour cream

Add the chilies, onion, garlic, and canned tomatoes to a blender and blend until smooth.

Fill a large pot halfway full with water (approximately 6 cups) and add all the ingredients, including the chile mixture and cook over medium heat until the squash and potatoes are fork tender.

Add the shrimp and cook 3-5 minutes more or until pink.

Just before serving stir in the sour cream until thoroughly combined.

Serve with crusty bread for sopping up the creamy spicy soup.


Now this version I can totally jive with. I was able to eat an entire bowl full and would happily eat it again if Baby Cakes hadn’t of claimed it as his lunch tomorrow. The things we do for love. Grin.

Caldo de Camarón (Shrimp Soup)

I don’t have to remind you that Baby Cakes loves Mexican food, or that I am a soup lover, or that we both love seafood. No, I think you might know if you’ve followed me very long. Heck, we live in Texas, southern Texas at that, seafood and Mexican food know no bounds here and we are both most assuredly fine with that.

I actually had never tried this soup until recently, we went out for supper and the weather was just right for soup, overcast, cold, and rainy, so in lieu of my go to chicken tortilla I ordered this. How had I never had it before? It was so good. This is the first restaurant soup recipe I have ever tried to recreate, that alone says something.

When I ate it at the restaurant I could pick up on the taste of crab boil. You know, that seasoning blend you use for shrimp, crab or crawfish boils? It didn’t overpower but it was certainly there. So I researched and came across so many recipes for this soup, none of which used boil seasoning. This is my adaptation; it was created by recalling the way I remember it tasting only adding some butternut squash instead of potatoes to save some calories.

Here is the only downfall I found about my recipe, it was way too spicy for a big baby like me. Next time I'll 86 the chipotles and only use the crab boil seasoning. However, Baby Cakes loves it! He even took it to lunch the next day.


Caldo de Camarón (Shrimp Soup)

2 tablespoons chipotle in adobo sauce
1 onion, roughly chopped
4 cloves garlic
28 ounces fire-roasted tomatoes
2 medium carrots, diced
4 cups butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1 tablespoon chicken bouillon paste
2 tablespoons crab boil seasoning
1 pound cleaned frozen shrimp

Add the chilies, onion, garlic, and canned tomatoes to a blender and blend until smooth.

Fill a large pot halfway full with water (approximately 6 cups) and add all the ingredients, including the chile mixture and cook over medium heat until the squash is fork tender.

Add the shrimp and cook 3-5 minutes more or until pink.

Serve in a big bowl with a side of brown rice or with some crusty french bread for dipping.


It really is an incredibly simple weeknight meal, especially a rainy weeknight like tonight. The french bread really did cut the spice.

1/4 of the pot worth of soup, about 2 cups, equals 265 calories. That's it! Amazing, I know. (That means I get some garlic bread too! Yipee!)

Add this soup recipe to your rotation or just try it for pete's sake. It is delicioso!

Onion Soup Shrimp Casserole

This recipe is a creation of incredible hunger. I originally took the shrimp out of the freezer to make something else, something I’ve made before and often Ceasar Shrimp Pasta, but somehow the recipe below is what ended up being made. I can’t explain it. It just is.

I originally bought the havarti cheese for another recipe but while searching through the crisper this evening saw that it needed to be used post haste. I had never tried it before but I am a self-proclaimed cheese lover so I cut a sliver and low and behold it is really good, as far as cheeses go. It’s very mild and the consistency is soft and creamy. It slightly resembles the look of swiss but the flavor is a mozzarella. I dig it. I think I might even try it as a replacement in some other recipes.


Onion Soup Shrimp Casserole

4 cups farfalle pasta
1 lb. frozen shrimp, thawed and drained
1 cup frozen peas
1 can cream of celery soup
1 packet dry onion soup mix
1 cup milk
½ lb. havarti cheese
1 tablespoon salt
½ tablespoon black pepper

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Spray a casserole dish with nonstick spray. Set aside.

In a large saucepan cook the pasta according to package directions adding the shrimp and peas during the last 5 minutes of cooking. Drain. Set aside.

In the same saucepan combine the soup mix, celery soup and milk. Cook over low heat stirring regularly until steaming. Turn off heat and stir in all but 1 cup of the cheese.

Stir together the pasta mix and soup cheese mixture until well combined. Pour into baking dish and top with leftover, 1 cup, of cheese.

Bake uncovered for 35-45 minutes, until cheese is golden bubbly.


It really is very good. I can’t see it making its way to a gourmet restaurant or even a cooking show but I can see it making its way to a family dinner table.

XOXO,

Caesar Shrimp and Pasta

Do you guys have a subscription to Simple & Delicious magazine?

I do but so far I’ve only made and shared one recipe from the February/March 2011 issue; that recipe being the Squash & Carrot Sauté from a week ago. Sometimes it takes me a while to jump on the wagon but once I do I’m taking the reins. The reason for the curiosity is because these magazines are just full of amazingly simple, namesake I suppose, recipes. I just made another one tonight.

Baby Cakes is a caesar dressing kind of guy. Every time we eat at Red Lobster he could make a meal out of the salad alone and as you might know it’s a steady simmer, scratch that, boil outdoors just about in every state right now. I want a cold satisfying meal. I found one. Amen.

The recipe calls for you to serve this pasta warm and although I did try it I have to say that it is even better cold.


Caesar Shrimp and Pasta
adapted from Simple & Delicious, Feb/March pg. 29

4 cups pasta
3 cups frozen peas
1 lb. frozen shrimp, and size
2 tablespoons plus ½ cup caesar salad dressing
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese

In a large saucepan, cook the pasta according to the package directions, adding the peas during the last 3 minutes of cooking.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, cook the shrimp in 2 tablespoons dressing over medium heat until cooked through.

Drain the pasta and peas and transfer to a large bowl. Add the shrimp, cheese and remaining caesar dressing and toss to coat.

Either serve immediately or refrigerate overnight and serve cold.


We love it! Love, love, love it. In fact I am eating leftovers for lunch right now.

XOXO,

Low Country Boil Chowder

Hold on to your socks girls because this recipe is going to try and blow them off. It is our new hands down favorite soup, no contest. Baby Cakes said that he would gladly eat it every day and I say that I will have to show willpower in not eating the entire pot full in one sitting. Just give me a ladle seriously.

I found this recipe on HEB.com, which is a grocery store chain that is exclusively in Texas. You might notice that this is not my first recipe to come from there and I guarantee it won’t be the last either. Just about every recipe they post or share in their store has flavor, hmm, maybe it’s a Texas thing? ”We got spirit and ambition all we now is a little competition…” (Back from my cheer days). I did change a few ingredients and the name to relect the changes.

Best.Soup.Ever!


Low Country Boil Chowder
adapted from HEB.com

1 lb. large peeled and deveined shrimp, frozen
4 - 6 slices thick-sliced bacon; coarsely chopped
¼ lb. ground chorizo
1 bag (20 oz.) diced frozen hash browns
2 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon seafood boil seasoning blend
3 cups chicken broth
4 cups frozen corn kernels
2 cups heavy cream

Cook bacon and chorizo in a large skillet over medium-high heat until brown and crispy. Drain on paper towels. Sauté potatoes in remaining bacon drippings about 3 minutes, scraping bottom of pan to release browned bits. Stir in flour and seafood boil seasoning until blended well.

Gradually stir in broth; bring to a boil and simmer over Medium heat 10 to 15 minutes or until potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally. Spoon half of the potatoes into a bowl; mash with a fork or potato masher and return to pot.

Stir in cream and corn; return chowder to a boil. Add shrimp; simmer 2 or 3 minutes or until shrimp just begins to curl. Stir and season with coarse salt and pinch of ground white pepper. Ladle chowder into serving bowls; top with a dollop of sour cream and a bit of the crispy chorizo and bacon crumbles. Serve with a crust garlic bread or croutons.


Imagine how amazing this would be with crawfish tails. Yum. I just found yet another reason to host a crawfish boil this year, leftovers. So coming soon Crawfish Boil Chowder.

I took advantage of what probably is the very last cold snap in my area, it dropped to about 40 degrees two nights ago and I have to say I am going to miss the cooler weather come sweltering summer. This was the perfect recipe to go out with a bang.

XOXO,

Shrimp and Noodle Soup

My husband loves this soup. He raved and raved. I originally made it with regular chicken stock and let me tell you it was way too salty. (He loved it though!) So this time I used reduced sodium, less salt, and it turned out very good. I know that it seems like alot of shrimp but I promise it enough for everyone to feel satisfied with it. Otherwise everyone thinks they got jipped.

Anyhow, try this soup. Souper yummy. (I know, I'm so funny!)


Ingredients
8 cups low sodium chicken stock
2 cups frozen peas
2 cups frozen carrot slices
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoons oyster sauce
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons red pepper flakes
2 teaspoons black pepper
10 ounces ramen noodles (about 4 packages)
4 flavor packettes (I used asian flavor)
2 pounds cooked medium shrimp

Directions
To a large pot over medium-high heat, add all ingredients except noodles and shrimp. Bring to boil; reduce to simmer for 6 minutes. Add noodles and return to simmer for 2 minutes. Add shrimp and return to simmer until shrimp are heated through, about 1 to 2 minutes.

Using tongs, divide noodles into serving bowls, add shrimp and ladle in stock.


XOXO,