Souper Snapper

Souper snapper is a hearty soup to enjoy at lunch or the end of a winter day. It has three things cold sportsmen are looking for; it’s tasty, it’s filling, and it warms them up.

Souper snapper tastes a bit different, being made with fish, and even though it’s lighter in color, it doesn’t have the milk/cream taste of chowders. Still, it’s easy, tasty, and lends itself easily to changes in personal tastes. It also reheats well in a slow cooker, the stove, or microwave.

Carolina winters are rarely harsh, but do have some cold days. Many of us enjoy chili, chowder and stews during this time and this is a recipe that will join those as favorites of the time. Soup is great for those cold days. And even during mild winters, some days are cool enough that nothing beats a steaming hot bowl of soup.

My family and friends think it really hits the spot whether used as a quick warm-me-up or as the basis for a meal. The fish makes it special. I hope you try it and I believe you’ll like it.

Souper snapper

The basic ingredient for souper snapper is the fish. This ingredients list is good for using with about a pound of fish and I used a single beeliner. The key is to use a fish that has mild flavor and is firm enough the fillets hold together when cut into approximately inch-size pieces. I have experimented with a few fish that have stronger flavors and it works, but you have to change up a little with the spices also. Skin the fish and be careful to remove all the bones.

Fish broth can be difficult to find as not all grocery stores carry it. In my area, even the smaller Publix stores have it and it is in the same area as the boxes of chicken and beef broth. I don’t know that there is any difference between brands, but the brand I use is Aneto. It is a product of Spain and is made using monkfish, hake, cod, several vegetables, extra virgin olive oil, garlic and sea salt. Be prepared as it definitely smells fishy when you open the container.

Chop a medium onion and use a rounded cup in the soup. Then dice the remaining onion a bit smaller to be used as a topping for the soup. If I was cooking this for myself, I would dice a jalapeno pepper or two and sauté them with the onions, carrots and potatoes to go in the soup. Over the years, I have learned that not everyone shares my taste for spices, so I dice the jalapeno to be used as a topping for the soup.

I prefer to use fresh potatoes instead of canned potatoes and they must be diced into fairly small pieces to cook in the short time this soup requires.

INGREDIENTS:

1-pound snapper fillet

1 medium onion

1 medium potato

1 TSP minced garlic

10-12 baby carrots

1 Jalapeno pepper

1 Carton fish broth (33.8 oz.)

1/2 Can lite coconut milk

1 Cup shredded cheddar cheese

Olive oil

1 TSP light celery salt

Pepper (to taste)

Red pepper flakes (to taste)

PREPARATION:

The first thing is to mix and grind the light celery sauce.

Fillet and skin the fish, then cut it into approximately 1-inch pieces.

Peel the potato, then chop it, the onion and jalapeno.

Slice the carrots.

Drizzle some olive oil in the bottom of a deep cast iron pan and heat to medium.

Sauté a rounded cup of the onions and the garlic until the onion turns opaque.

Turn the heat up to medium high and add the potatoes, carrots and fish broth.

Bring this to a slow boil for a minute or two and stir in the fish.

Next add the spices to personal tastes and stir well.

When the fish is cooked (3-4 minutes), stir in the coconut milk and reduce the heat to low.

Stir several times in a minute or so and soups on!

Serve the soup with extra onion, diced jalapenos and shredded cheese as toppings. A hearty bread or mixed grain crackers are a good accompaniment. I like salads and when using this for a meal, often begin with a green salad or lettuce wedge. Warm rice or bread pudding is a great choice for dessert.

I like to make this with as low salt content as possible, but have never found light celery salt on the shelves at a grocery store. I make my own by combining celery seeds and either kosher salt or smoked sea salt.

Once all the ingredients are ready, this goes together and cooks pretty quickly. It isn’t hard to do after a day of fishing, hunting or even work. I haven’t cooked it in a crock pot, but they work pretty well to keep it at serving temperature for a few hours without overcooking it. Give it a try sometime when you are planning a few hours of fishing, hunting or outside work in cold weather. It tastes good, is filling and will warm you up and have you ready to go outside again.  Enjoy!