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D's Spiced Coconut-Sea Urchin Soup


Inspired by The Hundred Foot Journey to make a sea urchin soup, we tracked down some fresh urchin. Thanks, Ms. Shiho!

But first, D made his grocery list...
  • coconut milk
  • urchin
  • 'tie' [sic] basil (we didn't actually get Thai basil because I had some fresh basil from our High Ground Organics CSA)
  • curry
  • tomato sauce
  • cilantro
  • rice cooked white rice (I made an exception to our usual brown rice rule!)
  • saffron 

We picked up some already prepped urchin and D did clean one urchin! I was grateful we didn't have to do that for all of the urchin.


Now for his soup...

Ingredients
  • 3 shallots, finely diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely diced
  • 1/2 t minced lemongrass
  • 1 T butter
  • splash of olive oil
  • 5 ounces fresh urchin, halved
  • 1-1/2 C clam juice
  • 2 C fish stock
  • pinch of saffon 
  • 1 T Thai curry powder
  • 1 t ground paprika
  • dash of ground turmeric
  • 1 can coconut milk
  • freshly ground salt
  • freshly ground pepper
  • 1/4 C fresh cilantro, chopped
  • 1/4 C fresh basil, chopped

Procedure
In a large souppot, melt butter in a splash of olive oil. Soften the shallots, garlic, and lemongrass in the butter-oil mixture. Add in 2-3 ounces of the urchin and saute for a few minutes.


Pour in the clam juice and fish stock. Season with saffron, curry powder, paprika, and turmeric. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and cover. Simmer for 10-15 minutes. Pour in the coconut milk and heat through. Stir in the fresh herbs and remove from the heat.


Season to taste with salt and pepper. To serve: spoon the soup into a bowl, add in a "rice island" - remember, the chef is 10 years old! - and top the island with one fresh piece of urchin.


Serve with more fresh urchin on the side...


Oh! This was divine! We shared some leftovers with friends who were also impressed. Good job, D!

Comments

  1. I am so impressed with D--his skills, his palate, and his cooking passion! I have to confess that I have never been much of an 'uni' or sea urchin fan taste-wise ever since a strange uni tart I was served at a party in Japan (not to mention I would be scared to attempt cleaning one!) ;-) but your soup makes me want to give it another try. It looks so velvety and I love all of the spices. A perfect restaurant-worthy dish for the film.

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