Mexican-style Caldo de Camarón

(with homemade corn tortillas)

Hi everyone and a happy Friday to you! A warm and sunny welcome to new subscribers. Every Friday, we chat about fresh California Cuisine and I’m so glad you’ve found your way here.

As always, the audio is posted above if you’d rather listen than read.

We are in the midst of a month-long love affair with warm and cozy soups. There have been so many yummy ones this month including Veggie, Bean, and Farro, Chicken, Corn and Poblano, and Roasted Tomato Soup with Gochujang Drizzle.

This year, there are five Fridays in January. So, that means we’ve got two more soups in the works, including today’s.

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There is a Mexican restaurant in our area that I had not eaten at in years. It was, and still is, very popular, but we stopped going there for whatever reason. About a month ago, we had dinner with some friends and they suggested this restaurant.

We were pleasantly surprised to find that the food was better than we remembered. And the atmosphere was casual and friendly, a family-owned restaurant. While I’m sad that we missed out on eating there more often in the past, I know that going forward, this will become our go-to Mexican food place. We’ve been back twice already in the last 30 days.

Photo by Spencer Watson on Unsplash

One of the things I like about this restaurant is its excellent seafood dishes. My husband enjoys the enchiladas del mar, which is an enchilada stuffed with shrimp and crab and covered in a delicate red sauce. On our last visit, I had the huachinango a la plancha, which is red snapper served with peppers and onions on a sizzling cast iron skillet. Delish!

Also on their menu is a caldo de camarón, or brothy shrimp soup filled with tender shrimp and vegetables. Served with tortillas, it is delicious especially on a cold winter’s evening. I’ve done my best to recreate this beauty of a soup for home cooks like us and hope you enjoy it as much as I do!

Recipes

Mexican-style Caldo de Camarón

Serves 4

Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

This Mexican-style shrimp soup is bright, savory, and full of flavor! Tender shrimp, veggies, and a light delicious broth make this a joy to eat. Don’t be afraid of the chiles used here; they bring savoriness but not the heat, perfect for those with middle-aged tummies or peeps who cannot do spicy.

Shrimp Broth Ingredients:

• Shrimp shells (from 1 lb extra-large shrimp)

• 2 cups water

• 1 bay leaf

• 1 garlic clove, smashed

Pepper Paste Ingredients:

• 3 dried guajillo (or other mild) chiles, stemmed and seeded

• 1 Tbsp olive oil

• 1 white onion, trimmed and diced

• 3 garlic cloves, minced

• 1/3 cup fresh cilantro, leaves and stems

• 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice

• 1/2 tsp ground cumin

• 1/2 tsp dried oregano

• 1/2 tsp kosher salt

Soup Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp olive oil

• 2 small carrots, chopped

• 3 small Mexican grey squash (can sub in zucchini)

• 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes

• 1 lb. extra-large shrimp, shells removed

• Garnishes: fresh chopped cilantro, lime wedges

Directions:

1. Make the shrimp broth by removing the shells from the raw shrimp. Rinse the shrimp meat and set aside until later. Place only the shells in a medium saucepan with 2 cups of water. Throw in the bay leaf and smashed garlic clove. Bring the mixture to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

2. Make the pepper paste by placing the dried chiles in a shallow heatproof container. Pour boiling water over the chiles until they are submerged. Allow to steep and rehydrate for 10 minutes.

3. Meanwhile, heat a large pot over medium-high heat and add the olive oil. Tip in the onion and garlic and sauté for 5-ish minutes until onions are soft.

4. To a blender or food processor, add the rehydrated chiles plus 1/2 cup of the steeping water. Add the onion and garlic mixture, plus the cilantro, lime juice, cumin, oregano, and salt. Blitz for a minute or until everything is smooth. Set aside.

5. Now it’s time to construct the soup! In the same large pot, heat the remaining 1 Tbsp of oil. Add the carrots and squash and sauté for 2 or 3 minutes. Strain the shrimp broth and discard the shells. Add the broth to the pot, then add the entire can of diced tomatoes including the juice. Scrape in the blended pepper paste. Tip in 2 cups of water and bring the whole shebang to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer covered for 20 minutes until carrots are tender.

6. Remove the soup from the heat and tip in the reserved raw shrimp, submerging them. Cover and allow the shrimp to poach in the hot soup for 5 to 10 minutes. The shrimp will cook in the hot liquid and be juicy and tender.

7. Garnish the soup with fresh cilantro and a squeeze of lime.

Homemade Corn Tortillas

Makes around 14 tortillas, 4 to 5-inches in diameter

Time: 40-ish minutes

Made with just three ingredients, these homemade corn tortillas are easy to make and easy to eat! Masa harina is a flour made from corn that is cooked and soaked in a lime solution. It is commonly used to make corn tortillas, tamales, pupusas, and other Latin American dishes.

If you don’t have access to masa harina, a good substitute is cornmeal or corn flour. The end result won’t be exactly the same, but will still work. Thanks to Gimme Some Oven for the recipe.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups masa harina

• 1 tsp kosher salt

• 1 2/3 cups hot water

Directions:

1. Make the dough by combining the masa harina and salt in a large bowl. Slowly pour in the hot water and stir the mixture until a dough forms. Knead the dough using your hands for 2 or 3 minutes in the bowl. The dough should be smooth with a texture similar to modeling clay or Play-Doh (remember playing with that as a kid?).

2. If the dough is too dry, add 1 Tbsp of water and mix again. If the dough is too wet, add 1 Tbsp of masa harina and mix again.

3. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and rest the dough for 10-ish minutes.

4. Divide the dough into 14 equal-sized balls. Alternatively, use a cookie scoop to portion out 2 Tbsp of dough for each ball. Roll each ball between your hands to form a round ball. Keep the rest of the dough covered to prevent it from drying out.

5. Press each ball down into a 4 to 5-inch tortilla. If you have a tortilla press, use that! If you don’t have a tortilla press, no worries (I don’t either). Lay down parchment paper on a flat surface. Place one ball on the parchment and cover with another piece of parchment. Flatten the ball with your palm or the bottom of a heavy pot. Then use a rolling pin to roll the dough out until it is 4 or 5 inches across.

6. Place a non-stick skillet on the stovetop and heat over medium-high heat. Depending on the size of your skillet, lay one or two tortillas flat in the pan. Cook for 1 minute, then flip to the other side. You may see char marks on the edges and that is good. Adjust the heat up or down, as needed.

7. Transfer the tortilla to a tortilla warmer if you have one. Alternatively, place the tortillas in a bowl and cover with a clean kitchen towel. The goal here is to trap the heat and moisture so the tortillas stay warm and soft.

8. Repeat the process with the remaining dough. A good rhythm is to cook one tortilla while you are pressing and shaping the next one.

9. Serve warm. The tortillas at the bottom of the stack will be the softest because they have had time to rest and steam, so I like to flip the stack upside down and eat from the bottom first. Always keep the tortillas covered so they don’t dry out. They are best when made fresh but leftovers can be stored in a Ziploc bag for a day or two.

Tell Me

What is your favorite thing to order at Mexican restaurants? I’d love to hear about your choices!

Just a heads up, coming in February: Dinner for 2! A month of tête-à-tête, cozy meals for two to enjoy with your favorite person. Plus desserts? Yes. And cocktails? Also yes!

Remember, we’ve got one more soup next week. See you next Friday!