This is a recipe I had bookmarked from about a year ago from the blog/site “Cook Eat Up.” It’s a fish/seafood take on a Greek classic called Giovarlakia Soup.
Basically the classic is a soup of meatballs (with rice) that are simmered in a broth (with more rice). It’s a dish my mom would make often and it’s still one of my faves!
This version replaces the meat with a mix of seafood. I used equal parts haddock fillets, shrimp and scallops. Feel free to use what you like but I would avoid salmon (too dominant in flavour).
The soup is finished with an egg/lemon emulsion we call “Avgolemono“ and it does deliver! I served this soup last weekend at my Greek Supper Club and many guests thought it was their favourite dish from the menu. Sounds like a ringing endorsement to me
Seafood Giouvarlakia Soup
Course: Main4-6
servings30
minutes40
minutesIngredients
1 lb. of mixed seafood (I used haddock, shrimp, scallops)
2 level tsp. sea salt
1/2 tsp. ground pepper
1 medium onion, grated
1 tsp chopped fresh fennel, ground fennel or anise
1/3 cup Arborio rice
- For the soup
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup Arborio rice
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 carrot, diced
1/2 stalk celery, diced
1-2 Vegetable bouillon cubes (to taste)
1 tsp. pepper
1 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill
2 quarts (8 cups) of vegetable stock
- Avgolemono
2 large eggs
juice of 1 lemon
1 Tbsp. of corn starch
Directions
- If using frozen seafood, ensure it is thoroughly thawed and patted-dry. Chop your fish into smaller pieces and add into a food processor (along with shrimp and scallops) and process until it’s a paste.
- Empty your ground seafood mix into a bowl and add onion, 1/3 cup of rice, fennel, salt & pepper in a large bowl. Form the entire mixture into meatballs.
- Add olive oil and stock into large pot along with vegetables and bring up to a boil.. Adjust seasoning with bouillon cubes. Drop your meatballs and the rice into the stock and bring back to a boil. Once you have a boil, reduce to a simmer (medium) with a just closed lid and cook for about 30-35 minutes. Rice should be soft. Take off the heat.
- In a large bowl, add your corn starch and some water and beat until the has dissolved to make a slurry.
- Add eggs and lemon juice and whisk or use an immersion hand-blender until just frothy.
- Take a ladle of stock from your pot and slowly add it to your egg/lemon mixture while whisking. Slowly add another 2 to 3 ladles of stock into the egg/lemon mixture. You’ve now tempered your your hot liquid and you’ve successfully made an Avgolemono.
- Slowly add your egg/lemon mixture back into your pot of soup and simultaneously keep on stirring as you’re pouring.
- Adjust seasoning with salt and reserve for five minutes. Serve with a garnish of parsley or dill, cracked black pepper and some good bread.
