It only made it to about 68 degrees here in SoCal (I know..no jokes from the East Coast). All day I have been in the mood for soup. I have been craving Thai Coconut Crab Soup for some reason. The smell of Thai basil and cilantro mixed with the sweetness of the coconut milk and that hit of spice from the sambal….get out of my way, it’s time for soup!

This is a rough recipe. I apologize in advance that I do not have any prep photos.

Scott’s Thai Coconut Crab Soup
5 cups chicken broth
2 can coconut milk
10-15 thai basil leaves
1 Lemongrass Stalk (the white part, smashed with the back of a knife)
2 inch chunk of Ginger sliced and smashed
3 garlic cloves
8 Lime Leaves (hand torn)
10 springs of Cilantro (Corriander)
6 large shiitake mushrooms (stems removed, sliced)
5 Chinese long string beans (cut into 2 inch segments)
1 pacakge of crab, make sure to check for shells (no imitation stuff here)
1 handful of shrimp chopped
1/2 to 1 teasooon of red curry paste (you can find this is most Asian markets and aisle)
1/2 teaspoon of Sambal (hot chili sauce, also found in most Asian markets and aisle)
2 teaspoons sugar
1/8 teaspoon of white pepper
2 tablespoons of fish sauce (nuac nam)
A squeeze of Lime

First we are going to infuse our broth with aromatics. If you have home-made chicken stock that’s great! If not, purchase one that is low in sodium. Place the broth in a saucepan and bring to a simmer. While that is coming up to temperature, let’s get our aromatics ready.

Lemongrass. For this dish we will be using the white part (towards the root). Cut off about a 6-8 piece and cut that in half. Next take those pieces and in half along the length of the piece. Next, take the backside of your knife and whack the lemongrass. this will help get all the oils out, you’ll begin to smell the lemongrass almost immediately. Add this to the broth. You’ll notice that lemongrass is a bit “woody” in texture, don’t worry, we’ll be straining this out later.

Next take a 3 inch piece of ginger and cut into medallions. No need to skin it. Next crush the medallions with the side of your knife, again to release the flavor.

Add the remaining pieces of aromatics: crushed garlic, half the lime leaves (torn by hand) half the basil and cilantro and place into the broth. Simmer all of this together for at least 15-20 minutes once the broth has come to a full simmer.

Meanwhile, let’s slice up our shiitake mushrooms and Chinese long beans and prep the crab and shrimp. [NOTE] You can substitute for regular green beans if you can’t find the Chinese Long Beans, but I find the Chinese Long Beans to have a different taste.

Now for the crab. Buy lump meat if you can. Whatever you do, avoid buying crab that is in a can. Most good seafood counters will have lump meat in a plastic container. Open and place the crab in a bowl. Pick thru to make sure there aren’t any pieces of shell or cartilage. Next chop your shrimp into small pieces. Frozen shrimp is totally fine here (its cheaper). Shell and de-vein the shrimp, then chop.

After your broth has been simmering for 15-20 minutes, take it off the heat and strain to another pot. Place back on the heat. Add two cans of coconut milk. You can go with LITE coconut milk, it doesn’t skimp on flavor, just fat! Next add the sambal, fish sauce, white pepper (if you don’t have white pepper, black is fine), sugar and red curry paste. Stir and make sure everything comes together.

After about 1 minute, add the mushrooms and green beans, wait 2 minutes then add the crab and shrimp. Add the remaining cilantro and basil to the broth.

Don’t forget to taste, if you think it needs more salt, add another teaspoon of fish sauce. You can add more sambal or curry paste to your liking.

Serve hot and with some fresh basil leaves on top and a squeeze of Lime. If you didn’t spice it up too much, a drop of sambal on the top is a nice touch!

Enjoy!