seafood cream

Seafood cream is a great recipe to enjoy at Christmas celebrations, as well as on Sundays and other holidays. This recipe is brought to us by Luisa, author of Cocinando con mi Carmela , and I am convinced that you will love it.

At this time of year, we all spend a lot of time with family and friends, and without a doubt, where we enjoy these days the most is around a good table. We also enjoy cooking, preparing classic, original recipes for our loved ones, or those that have always been a tradition at home.

Today's recipe is a classic in the north of Spain and since I have good genes from those lands, what better way to honor it than with a delicious seafood cream?!

The important thing about this recipe for it to turn out well, consistent and tasty, is the quality of the products, and of course the chup chup: to do it with patience, to take your time. That said, the recipe is simple.

Now I hope you go to your nearest market and buy these wonderful products and get to work.

Black cocotte 24cm Le Creuset , fleur de ligne bowls by Tokyo Design and Nezumi plates

Ingredients

• 500gr of mussels
• 300gr of hake
• Head and bones of hake or monkfish
• 300gr of shrimps
• 80gr of extra virgin olive oil
• 50gr of brandy
• 300ml of water
• 1 onion
• 1 leek
• 250g of crushed natural tomatoes
• Salt and pepper

Le Creuset black cocotte 24cm , fleur de ligne bowls from Tokyo Design and Nezumi plates and bowls

Preparation

1. First we start by peeling the shrimp, reserving the bodies and about 10 heads.
2. Now we are going to make the stock. To do this, put the hake head, shrimp shells and mussels in a cocotte , cover with water, add salt and let it cook for about 15 minutes. Strain and reserve the stock.
3. We separate the mussels from their shells and set aside.
4. Now we prepare the shrimp concentrate. To do this, add oil and the reserved heads to a frying pan , stir them with a spatula and squeeze them to release the juice.
5. We add brandy and a little fumet and let it cook for a few minutes.
6. We strain and reserve the broth we have obtained.
7. Fry the chopped onion and leek in a cocotte with the rest of the oil. When they are well cooked, add the crushed tomato, season with salt and pepper and leave for 15-20 minutes. Once the tomato is finished cooking, add the stock that we have reserved and let it cook for a few minutes so that all the flavours blend together. Finally, add the hake and prawns, and set some aside to garnish.
8. After about 10 minutes, remove the broth and set aside; add it later if the cream is too thick.
9. We grind everything with a food processor or blender .
10. Add salt and pepper again if necessary and add broth if it has become too thick.
11. To decorate, add a couple of grilled or cooked prawns, a few basil or mint leaves, and it's ready to serve.

Tips

• We can use the type of seafood and fish that we like the most.
• Blend more or less, depending on how you like the texture.
• If you want to cook the mussels separately, you can do so, but do not throw away the broth because it will also be used to add to the sauce.
• You can serve the soup in pretty bowls or tureens; the red ones from Le Creuset will make any soup look great.

Well, I hope you like the recipe.

Luisa.