Japanese Style Shellfish Soup Recipes

DONABE SEAFOOD SOUP WITH UDON NOODLES

Steps:

• To make the dashi, fill a medium saucepan with 4 cups of cold water. Add the kombu and bring to a boil over medium-low heat, carefully skimming off and discarding any white foam that might bubble up using a large spoon or ladle, about 15 minutes. Once at a boil, turn off the heat and let sit for 5 minutes.
• Remove the kombu and bring the liquid back to a boil over medium heat. Turn off the heat and add the bonito flakes. Let the bonito flakes soak for 15 minutes.
• Strain the dashi through a fine-mesh strainer, pressing down with a rubber spatula to extract all the liquid. Discard the bonito flakes. (The dashi can be used immediately or cooled completely before storing in an airtight container for up to 5 days.)
• Heat the vegetable oil in a large donabe over medium heat. Add the ginger and scallions and sauté until the scallion whites are golden brown, about 2 minutes. Add 1 1/2 cups of the dashi and the napa cabbage. Raise the heat to medium high and bring to a simmer.
• Meanwhile, mix the mirin and soy sauce in a small bowl. Set aside.
• Once the dashi is at a simmer, add the udon in an even layer. Carefully arrange the mushrooms, snapper, shrimp, clams and garlic chives in an even layer on top of the udon. You may need to nestle in and overlap some of the ingredients, such as the garlic chives and mushrooms, but take care not to overlap the snapper pieces too much or they may not cook evenly. Pour in the mirin-soy mixture and remaining dashi. Bring to a full simmer. Cover and let cook until the shrimp are pink, the clams are open and everything is cooked through, 5 to 7 minutes more.
• Carefully remove the lid and drizzle in the sesame oil. Transfer to the donabe to a trivet on the table. Divide among bowls and enjoy while warm. Season with additional mirin and light soy sauce, if desired.

ASIAN RAMEN SHRIMP SOUP

Steps:

• In a large saucepan, bring water to a boil. Set aside seasoning packet from noodles. Add the noodles to boiling water; cook and stir for 3 minutes. , Add the shrimp, onions, carrot, soy sauce and contents of seasoning packet. Cook until heated through, 3-4 minutes longer.

AUTHENTIC JAPANESE SCALLOP SOUP WITH RAMEN NOODLES

Steps:

• Bring 2 cups water to a boil in a saucepan. Cook ramen noodles in boiling water until tender, 2 to 3 minutes; drain. Rinse with cold water to stop cooking process. Divide noodles between 2 soup bowls.
• Bring 2 1/2 cups water to a boil in a saucepan. Stir soy sauce, mirin, dashi no moto, and rice vinegar into the boiling water. Reduce heat to low. Add shiitake mushrooms, green onions, and ginger to the water; cook at a simmer until mushrooms are tender, 3 to 5 minutes. Pour about half the mixture over each portion of noodles.
• Melt butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook scallops in melted butter until opaque in the middle, about 3 minutes. Put 4 cooked scallops into each soup bowl to serve.

JAPANESE-STYLE SHELLFISH SOUP

Steps:

• In a large pot over medium-high heat, combine the mussels, shallots and white wine, and steam, covered, until all the mussels open, about five minutes. Strain the mussels, discarding any that remain closed. Remove the mussel meat from the shells, reserving 12 mussels on the half shell for garnish, and set aside. Reserve the cooking liquid. There should be about two and one-half cups.
• In a large pot over high heat, combine the fish stock with two cups of mussel broth. Add the saffron, carrots, celery, pasta and mushrooms, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for three minutes.
• Add the monkfish to the broth, return to a boil, and lower the heat to simmer for one minute. Add the shrimp, scallions and mussel meat, and cook for one minute.
• Place two mussels on the half shell in each of six bowls. Ladle equal portions of the soup over the mussels and serve immediately.