ElFaro - 12-29-2007 at 11:05 PM
Caldo de Siete Mares (Seven Seas Soup)
When it comes to caldos (soups) this is at or near the top of the list for most Mexicans I know. At most seafood stands/restaurants (e.g. Mariscos
Chemel in Tecate or Malarrimo in G.Negro) this is sold hot and ready to eat.
After a cold windy fall/winter day of fishing, surfing, kayaking, or beachcombing in Baja and sitting down in my trailer to "Caldo de Siete Mares" and
tortillas... - Baja just doesn't get any better.
This is the authentic recipe from Mexican cooks...
Soup Stock -
8 cups of water
6 medium sized tomatoes
3 stalks celery
1 medium size white onion
1 bunch celantro
3 carrots
1 clove garlic
1 Bell Pepper
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp. Knorr Tomate (Caldo de Pollo e Tomate Sabor)
Seafood - defrosted or thawed
10-12 medium sized shrimp peeled and devained
4 scallops cut into 1" pieces
2 Dungeness or Blue crab claws or equivalent
1/2 lb whitefish, salmon, or cod cut into 1" pieces
1 small octopus (tentacles only cut into 1/2 " pieces)
4-6 small Clams - optional
1 cup Seafood Medley (Albertsons) - optional
4-6 limes
Salt
Flour tortillas
Katsup
Tapatillo hot sauce
To make the soup stock -
Pour the water into a large pot...
Cut and seed the tomatoes into 1/4 inch pieces and place in pot. Crush the garlic clove and add to soup.
Add the Knorr tomate, stir, and bring pot to a boil. After boil reduce heat to simmer and cook for 2 hours minimum. After cooking put base in
blender and blend for 30 sec. or until uniform texture and pour back into the pot.
Chop 1/2 the onion, 3 stalks celery, 1 bell pepper (remove seeds) into 1/4 inch pieces, 3 carrots into 1/2 in. pieces, and dice 1/4 cup celantro. Add
to the base stock pot and cook for 1-2 hrs more.
When ready to serve soup:
In a seperate smaller pot add 2 cups of soup stock.
Add the shrimp, scallops, seafood medley, clams, fish, octopus, and crab claws and bring to boil for about 1 min.
Shut off heat and let stand for 5 minutes.
Pour seafood soup in large bowl and stir in 2 tbsp of katsup and squeeze in 1/4 Mex lime, add pinch salt. Dice some celantro and onion into a small
bowl.
Sprinkle fresh celantro and onion into soup as you eat.
Cut up limes into quarters.
Warm tortilllas on a grill, toaster oven, or microwave
Rub limes on tortillas , sprinkle salt, and eat with the soup
Tapatillo optional - careful too much can be overpowering.
Bien provecho !!
Note: Seafood can be any combination / amounts.
Also...if you buy the seafood mix for 7-seas soup from say the Ensenada fish market. Cook the seafood 1st in a separate pot and strain out the cooked
seafood from the broth before you put it in the above soup stock. Do not use the broth leftover from the cooked seafood unless you like extremely
strong fish flavor.
bajadock - 12-30-2007 at 08:42 AM
ElFaro,
Good timing on this cold weather recipe. Reports from SOC side have also been cooler temps.
I make the italian version, "cioppino", but haven't tried cooking the local style. Will do, thanks to your prompt. Nothing better than soup and some
tortillas or bread on a cool evening.
Will chianti work with yours, or would you steer toward pinot grigio?
capt. mike - 12-30-2007 at 09:14 AM
any dago red sounds good with that!!! and some honey butter...yum, burp...
oladulce - 12-30-2007 at 07:36 PM
Good one ElFaro. Thanks.
I always admire that tasty broth in sopa de mariscos.