Honduran Coconut Seafood Soup (Sopa Catratcha De Mariscos Con Un

West Side Chef's Note:

This soup is a mixture of delicious seafood and fresh vegetables with a slightly sweet taste. Taught to me by a friend during my time in Honduras. Maybe it's because I've been away for so long, but this is a food that I always crave! You can substitute many of the seafood items, especially for a quicker or easier recipe. Same goes for the vegetables. However, the thing that makes this soup distinct from other seafood soups is the coconut milk.

• Total Time: 1 hrs 40 mins
• Prep Time: 1 hrs
• Cook Time: 40 mins

Ingredients:

Serves: 8-10

Yield: 2.0 gallons

• 2 lbs crab
• 4 tablespoons margarine
• 1 tomato (chopped)
• 1 onion (chopped)
• 1 green pepper (chopped)
• 2 chicken bouillon cubes
• 1 teaspoon spices
• ½ cup cilantro
• ¼ cup parsley
• water
• salt
• 2 shrimp bouillon cubes
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoons achiote powder
• 3 chayotes
• 3 yucca root
• 4 plantains
• 1 lb shrimp
• 1 lb conch
• 1 lb fish (fillet of your choice)
• 2 cups coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 cups rice
• lime
• avocado (optional)
• tortilla

Directions:

1. Clean crabs front and back (take off hair and cut the tips of the legs). (Don’t forget!) to whack the crabs really hard with a rock or hammer before you put them in the pot (so that they can soak up the flavor more).
2. Put crabs in large stock pot with the margarine.
3. Add green peppers, tomatoes, and onions, one cube of chicken bullion, cilantro, parsley, and some spices all over low heat.
4. Mix and move the crabs.
5. Next, put some hot water (about one-third to one-half the size of your pot) and some salt. Keep mixing.
6. Add the shrimp bullion, another cube of chicken bullion, and the Worcestershire Sauce. Put the achiote powder in for color.
7. Peel and cut the chayotes into slices and then 6 times into chunks. Don't forget to take the seed out of the middle. Add the chayotes to soup.
8. Peel and cut into round pieces the three yuccas (you have to cut the hairy and red part, and then peel it until you completely remove the casing.) Add to the soup.
9. Wash the plantain skins, then cut the plantains into 5 chunks each. (You can add the plantains with the skin on or removed.) Add to the soup.
10. Let boil until vegetables cooked. When pataste ready add fish and shrimp.
11. Add coconut milk, sugar and conch (If you have it!).
12. Finally, allow the soup to simmer for at least 20 minutes. My friend always told me that after adding the coconut milk to not to look at the soup until you serve it. You can serve it with lime, avocado, rice. Enjoy with tortillas.

Reviews

[Zurie]

Chef, I cannot review this because I have not made it. It is such a pity, because it sounds delightful. Unfortunately there are ingredients I cannot hope to find. As much as I would love to re-create a Honduran recipe, I cannot! I'm in South Africa, and plantains and yucca root are not obtainable. Chayote ... I wonder if that is similar to what is grown in the far north of this country by one name: shu-shu. It has other names as well: a knubbly, green sort of squash, quite watery and fairly tasteless? I'm not sure. At least you have saved the recipe to Zaar. I love finding such traditional recipes from far-flung countries.