Newsletter Home | Market Report | Recipes | Contact Us | Subscribe to Newsletter

Recipes Home | Refer this page to a friend

Oriental Noodle Soup with Salmon

Seafood alternatives: snapper, haddock, scallops, shrimp

A gentle, warming broth enhanced by buckwheat noodles and scented with fresh ginger. This centerpiece soup showcases n individual portion of fish per serving.

Ingredients:

• 8 dry shiitake mushrooms; or 12 regular mushrooms, sliced
• 6 ounces dry thin buckwheat noodles or thin spaghetti
• 1 large carrot, peeled
• 8 cups clam juice or fish stock (see Tip #5)
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 10 quarter-size slices unpeeled fresh ginger
• 2 teaspoons grated fresh lemon peel
• 1 to 2 minced jalapeno or serrano chilies
• 1 1/4 pounds skinless salmon fillet
• 4 cups finely shredded Chinese cabbage (Napa cabbage)
• 2 to 3 teaspoons Oriental sesame oil
• 1 green onion, slivered finely on the diagonal
• 6 tablespoons lemon or lime juice
• 6 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro leaves
• 1 1/2 tablespoons minced or pressed garlic

Cooking Instructions:

Pour 3/4 cup hot water over the dry shiitake mushrooms and let stan until caps are soft, 20 to 30 minutes. Reserve soaking liquid, discarding any sand. Cut off and discard tough mushroom stems, then julienne caps; set aside.

In a 31/2 to 5-quart pan, bring 2 quarts water to a boil. Stir in noodles and simmer until tender to bite, about 6 minutes. Pour noodles into a colander and rinse under cold running water until cooled; set aside.

To make Oriental carrot flowers, cut a narrow lengthwise wedge out of for sides of carrot. Slice carrot very thin; set aside.

Put the mushrooms, shiitake mushroom soaking liquid (if using), carrots, clam juice, soy sauce and ginger into the pan. Bring liquid to a boil; cover and simmer about 5 minutes. Stir in lemon peel and chilies. (Soup can be made ahead up to this point. Cover and refrigerate until next day then reheat over medium heat before continuing.)

Cut salmon into 6 equal portions; rinse and pat dry. Stir noodles into soup. Gently immerse salmon in soup; cover and gently simmer until fish is barely opaque in center, about 5 minutes. Remove fish with a slotted spoon, set on a warm platter; cover to keep warm. Stir cabbage into soup and simmer just until wilted, 1 to 2 minutes.

Ladle soup into wide individual bowls, removing ginger, Place a piece of fish in the center of each bowl and drizzle with sesame oil; sprinkle with green onions. In a small bowl, combine the lemon juice, cilantro and garlic; pass sauce to add to soup to taste.

Makes 9 cups, serves 6

Per serving: 296 cal./27 g prot./27 g carbo./2 g sat./5 g mono./3 g poly/1 g om-3/68 mg chol./134 mg sdm.