Sopa de Camarones (Mexican Shrimp Soup)

Ingredients

4 dried guajillo chiles stemmed and seeded

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 potato peeled and diced

2 carrots sliced

1 small onion roughly chopped

1 garlic clove

6 cups shrimp stock fish stock, or water

1 teaspoon kosher salt

½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 bay leaf

1 pound peeled and deveined shrimp

Juice of 2 limes

½ cup chopped cilantro divided

Place the dried chiles in a heat-proof bowl and pour 2 cups of boiling water over them. Cover (I just put a plate on top of the bowl) and let stand for 15 minutes or so.

In a stockpot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the potatoes and carrots and cook, stirring frequently, until they begin to soften and brown, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a food processor or blender, combine the onion, garlic, and the soaked chiles along with their soaking liquid. Process until smooth.

Add the shrimp stock (or fish stock or water) to the pot along with the chile purée, salt, pepper, and bay leaf.

Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for about 10 minutes, until the vegetables are tender.

Add the shrimp and cook until they are opaque and cooked through, about 3 minutes.

Just before serving stir in the lime juice and ¼ cup of the cilantro.

Serve hot, garnished with the remaining cilantro.

Notes

1. Guajillo chiles are mild, with little to no heat. If you like your soup spicier, you can use a mix of guajillo, pasilla, and ancho chiles. Pasilla chiles add great raisin-y flavor and are medium spicy. Ancho chiles also have a fruity flavor and a bit more kick.

2. After puréeing the chiles, you may want to strain the mixture through a sieve to get rid of any larger bits of chile. I don’t mind a little texture, but straining it gives you a very smooth purée and keeps any bits of chile skin out of your soup.

3. You can use shrimp stock if you have it. Knorr makes a shrimp bouillon that works well here. You can also make a quick shrimp stock by adding dried shrimp along with water and letting them simmer in the soup. Or you can substitute fish stock, vegetable broth, or even just water.

Prep Time: 10 mi   Total Time 10 min

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