Seafood Soups

!±8± Seafood Soups

Seafood soups are generally made from a broth or a cream base and include various kinds of shellfish or fish. They are part of several different world cultures and are made in such places as France, China and the Eastern United States. Seafood soups and stews are also relatively easy to prepare and can be inexpensive as well, depending on the ingredients.

Almost any kind of seafood can be used in soup. Cooks who like freshwater fish can try making a soup with salmon, chopped broccoli and cream. Shellfish lovers can use shrimp in many different soup and stew recipes, such as Shrimp Bisque and Shrimp Gumbo. A popular seafood stew from California is Cioppino, which uses tomatoes and chicken broth to make a smooth base and adds shrimps, scallops, clams, mussels, crab and cod.

Chowder is a commonly made seafood soup. The kind of seafood used in the chowder depends on what is locally available in the area. In the northeastern United States, chowder may be made with clams and potatoes. In the southeastern United States, it may include she-crab meat and crawfish. Typically, chowders use a cream base, but some of them can also be adapted to work with a tomato broth base, such as Manhattan Clam Chowder.

If it can fit into the cook's budget, lobster is popular seafood for use in soup. There are many kinds of lobster soup recipes, including Lobster Bisque, Lobster Soup, Lobster Gazpacho and Lobster Bouillabaisse. Those who need to stick with a low-cost meal can use canned fish, such as canned salmon, canned crab meat and even canned tuna to prepare a simple and affordable stew.

To serve a seafood soup as an appetizer, it is generally best to stick with a lighter soup, such as a Hot and Sour Shrimp Soup or a Creamy Crab Soup. If the stew will be the main course, however, heavier recipes that use bulky fish, potatoes or whole shellfish would be appropriate. This would include recipes such as Halibut Chowder, Corn and Crab Chowder or Oyster Stew. Served along with bread, rolls or crackers, seafood soup can serve as a complete meal.