A Soup of Tomatoes and Crab

Name: A Soup of Tomatoes and Crab
Yield: enough for 4 to 6
Ingredients: small green onions – 5; lemongrass – 3 stalks; olive oil – 2 tablespoons; a hot red chile; medium tomatoes – 4; chicken stock – 4 cups (a liter); the juice of a small orange, or half a large one; mixed white and brown crabmeat – 1 pound (500g); nam pla (Thai fish sauce) – a tablespoon; a lime, large and ripe; cilantro – a small bunch

December 14, 2011

There is a small but distinguished group of seafood and tomato dishes, from the Provençal soups with their croûtes and brick-red rouille to Portuguese soup-stews reeking of garlic. With those dishes as a starting point, I spent some time working on a soup of tomato and crab. After making several versions that were too thick and rich, I took the step of bringing chile and lemongrass into the proceedings to add a breath of freshness and vitality. This is a bright-tasting soup that sings with the sweet heat of chile and crustacean. To add enough substance to treat it as a main dish (when this recipe will serve 3 or 4), I introduce a last-minute addition of bean shoots or maybe some shredded, very lightly cooked snow peas.

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