With the summer heat upon us, we find ourselves turning to chilled soups and refreshing salads for dinner. We love this Thai-style cold crab soup recipe from chef/author Nicole Aloni. It's got just the right amount of spice in it cool you off!
Cold Curried Crab Soup
Submitted to Foodista by Nicole Aloni
1 teaspoon heaping chopped garlic (about 4 cloves)
1 teaspoon chopped ginger
3 red Thai chiles (seeded and chopped) or 2 serrano chile (seeded and chopped)
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup peanut or vegetable oil
2 bay leaves
2 1/2 cups minced onion (about 2 small)
3 teaspoons curry powder
1 1/2 cups minced, canned Roma tomatoes
2 teaspoons chopped cilantro
2 cups coconut milk
1 cup chicken stock
2 , 8-oz. bottles clam juice
2 teaspoons kosher salt or more
2 teaspoons lime (or lemon) juice
1 1/2 pounds crabmeat
1/2 cup of each of 2 or more of these classic condiments: shredded unsweetened coconut; a sprig of cilantro, crab meat, a slice of jalapeño
Combine garlic, ginger, chile and 2 tablespoons of water in a blender and puree.
Heat oil over medium high heat in a 14-inch sauté pan or Dutch oven. When hot, add cinnamon bay leaf --sauté for 5 seconds. Add the onion and sauté until golden brown, 7 to 10 minutes. Add the ginger mixture and sauté until aromatic and the water has evaporated. This is where you really develop the flavor.
Add the curry powder plus 1 to 2 additional tablespoons of water and stir into the onions. Sauté for 1 to 2 minutes longer until aromatic. Add the tomatoes, cilantro, remaining water, coconut milk, chicken stock, clam juice and salt. Lower heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes to thicken.
Remove from heat and stir in the lime juice and taste for additional salt.
When cool, puree mixture in batches until very smooth. Chill. This can be prepared the day before and refrigerated.
To Serve: Put in individual bowls and top each bowl with a sprinkling of 3 ounces of crab (about 1/2 cup). Offer the condiments on the side.
