Bowl of Thai Seafood Soup
(click to enlarge)

Seafood Soup, Thai


Thailand   -   Tom Yum Talay
Makes:
Effort:
Sched:
DoAhead:  		 8 cups
**
1-1/4 hrs
Most		 This aromatic seafood soup is easy to make, and delicious. The seafood used can be varied, so long as it totals a pound, and sometimes a vegetable is added, such as slices of white bok choy stems with some of the greens.

4
4
8
7
4
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4
2
1
2
1/2
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4
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3
1
14
1
2
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1/4

oz
oz
oz
oz
oz
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in
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c
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T
T
oz
t
T
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c
Fish (1)
Shrimp
Seafood mix (2)
Tomato
Mushrooms (3)
-- Aromatics mix
Garlic
Thai Chilis (4)
Lemon Grass stalk (5)  
Kaffir Leaves (6)
Galangal
----------------
Stock, Chicken (7)
-- Finish mix
Fish Sauce (8)
Soy Sauce
Coconut milk
Sugar (opt)
Lime Juice, fresh
-- Garnish
Cilantro Leaves
Prep   -   (35 min)
  1. Cut FISH into bite size pieces. Peel SHRIMP and cut in half crosswise if quite large. Cut SEAFOOD into appropriate size pieces. Mix.
  2. Scald TOMATO one minute in boiling water, quench in cold water and peel. Cut into about 1/2 inch chunks.
  3. Slice MUSHROOMS appropriately, if not using Straw Mushrooms.
  4. Crush GARLIC and chop fine. Cap CHILIS and slice thin crosswise. Peel off tough outer leaves of LEMON GRASS, cut off the hard root end and crush the bottom 10 inches, but lightly, so it doesn't fall apart. Cut into 3 inch lengths. Lightly bruise LIME LEAVES. Slice GALANGAL about 1/8 inch thick. Mix all.
  5. Mix together all Finish items.
  6. Chop Cilantro medium for Garnish.
Run   -   (30 min)
  1. In your soup pot, combine Stock, Mushrooms and Aromatics mix. Bring to a boil and simmer for 8 minutes or so.
  2. If you wish, you can fish out the Lemon Grass, Lime Leaves and Galangal at this point.
  3. When ready to serve, Stir in Tomatoes and bring to a boil. Stir in Seafood Mix and bring back to a simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, until fish is just cooked through - longer and other seafood may become tough. Live clams go in for the last 30 seconds or so, just until they open.
  4. Stir in Finish mix and bring just up to a bare simmer, not to a boil. It is now ready to serve.
  5. Serve hot, garnished with Cilantro Leaves. If you used live clams, remove any that didn't open.
NOTES:

  1. Fish:

      Many light to medium fish that stay reasonably firm will work here as cooking time is very short. Vietnamese Catfish (Swai), Tilapia, Bluefish, Pomfret, Pompano, Jacks and Amberjacks, etc. For details see our Varieties of Fish (very large page).

  2. Seafood Mix:

      This can be any combination of Clam meat, periwinkle meat, Squid, Squid Tentacles, Sea Cucumber, Mussel, Scallops, Octopus (small), etc. If desired, you can also use some small live clams, but don't count them in the weight (they are mostly shell). The photo example has some small Purple Varnish Clams (Savory clam).

  3. Mushrooms:

      Straw mushrooms would be official, but small King Trumpets also work fine. You could also use Crab Mushrooms, Hon-Shimeji, or even fresh Shiitakes or regular White Mushrooms. For details, see our Fungus page.

  4. Thai Chilis:

      As given here it is very low in chili heat, but you can adjust it to your taste. Two Thai chilis give this soup just moderate hotness. You could also use green de Arbols, or about 2/3 of a Serrano, chopped small - or, adjust to your taste. For details see our Thai Chilis page.

  5. Lemon Grass:

      These tough grass stems are now widely available in North America in markets that serve an East or Southeast Asian community. I've even seen them in some Korean markets. For details see our Lemon Grass page.

  6. Kaffir Lime Leaves:

      These come 2 to a stem. See our Kaffir Lime page for details. If you don't have them, grate the zest of the lime before you squeeze it for lime juice.

  7. Stock:

    The pattern recipe calls for Chicken stock, but Pork Stock could also be used. In Asia, fish stocks are rarely used for soups of this type.

  8. Fish Sauce:

      This clear liquid is as essential to Southeast Asian cuisine as it was to Imperial Rome. If you are unfamiliar with it, see our Fish Sauce - Introduction page.
  9. U.S. measure: t=teaspoon, T=Tablespoon, c=cup, qt=quart, oz=ounce, #=pound, cl=clove in=inch, ar=as required tt=to taste
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