Caldo Verde Con Camaron-Shrimp Soup With Vegetables

Shrimp soup in a salsa verde base. Ok, I admit, the literal translation of caldo verde)green soup) doesn’t sound that inviting, lol! But, we love salsa verde, right? I know I do anyway! If you just don’t enjoy green food or seafood, than that’s ok. I totally respect that. Tomato based caldo de camaron(shrimp soup), yes, I love it and I have been preparing it for many years. As a cook, I am curious and I may color outside of the lines occasionally. Stepping out of the box of what we know as traditional is a good thing to grow as a cook. I am embracing it!

Yes, but what size bowl you serving up that caldo? Lol!

Guitly! I grew up with those extra large oversized bowls for caldo(soup)! Naturally, when I get ready to plate any caldo, I find myself reaching for that big bowl. Have you ever heard the term, “my eyes were bigger than my stomach?” Back in the day, mom served our portions and basically we would eat it, right? I never remember any of my siblings saying, “hey mom, can I save this for later?” We had no microwave to reheat leftovers fast. If there were leftovers, we did it the old fashioned way, on the stove top.

I remember just a few years back that I found sharing a food video impossible!

Yes, I remember watching my fellow Latina food bloggers sharing their lovely food videos and I admired them so much. I dreamt of the day that I could share my food journey via video. I too am a visual person when it comes to attempting recipes that are unfamiliar. It’s beautiful to watch how simple ingredients play out and unfold to yield an appetizing plate (or bowl) of food. Social media is saturated with Mexican recipes, both in English and Spanish. You literally can find almost any recipe or any cuisine on the web these days.

Keep it simple, but use what you have!

Early on as a cook, I learned to adapt recipes using what I had available in my refrigerator and pantry. Of course, I try to stick to the basic, traditional recipe, but when cooking to feed others, sometimes you adapt the recipe. A recipe calls for green Anaheim pepper, but I only have poblanos. That works. I have frozen corn, not fresh. That works! White onion, I am out. This fresh green onion will work just fine. After all you are a home cook and I promise you that any dish you prepare with love, it will be delicious.

I honestly prefer using fresh corn, but toasting the corn this way brings out more flavor!

Leaving the tails on is totally optional. Honestly, I do it mostly for presentation purposes. It always up to you in the end.

Caldo Verde de Camaron Shrimp Soup w/ Vegetables

Not only is red tomato based shrimp soup delicious, but so is salsa verde shrimp soup amazing!

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 43 minutes minutes

Total Time: 1 hour hour 8 minutes minutes

Servings: 4 Servings

Ingredients

• 6 small or 4 larger poblano peppers 275 gr, stems and seeds removed
• Avocado oil
• 1 c fresh or frozen corn
• 8 small tomatillos 154 gr, peeled, washed
• 6 green onions 126 gr, separate white from the green parts, Slice green parts thin and set aside
• 3 cloves of garlic 12 gr
• 1 serrano pepper 14 gr, stem removed
• 2 c water or broth
• 1 tablespoon chicken bouillon
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 4 c chicken or seafood broth
• 1 med bunch cilantro washed, divide in half, chop half fine and set aside
• 1 large carrot 136 gr, peeled, sliced
• 1 stick of celery washed sliced
• 1 small zucchini washed, sliced
• 12 oz large peeled and deveined shrimp tails or no tails
• Garnish
• Lime wedges
• Avocado
• Crush chile piquin or minced serrano
• More cilantro finely chopped

Instructions

• Move top shelf in oven to 8 inches from the broiler. Set broiler to preheat on high while you prep poblanos. After removing the stems and seeds, slice the peppers open to make two flat pieces. Lay them skin side up on a lined baking sheet. Spray or brush the tops with oil. When ready, place them under the broiler for 8-10 minutes or until most of the skin has blistered. Transfer to a plastic bag and let steam while you finish prepping.
• In a skillet at medium heat, add the corn in an even layer. Continue heating without moving the corn until it starts to toast and pop. Stir as needed for the next 5 minutes. Set aside.
• Prep the carrot, celery and zucchini. Slice thin for quick cooking time. Set them aside.
• Roughly chop the tomatillos, serrano pepper and the white parts from the green onions. Transfer to the blender jar. Remove the thick stems from the cilantro and add half to the blender jar. Remove the roasted poblanos from the bag. Remove the blistered skin. Add 3 halves of the poblanos to the blender jar. Slice and reserve the remaining peppers. Pour in 2 cups of water or broth. Add 1 tbsp. of chicken bouillon and pepper, to taste. Blend on high until smooth. Set it aside.
• In a pot, preheat 1 ½ tbsps. of avocado oil to medium heat for a few minutes. At the same time, in another pot, heat 4 cups of chicken broth at medium/low heat.
• Once oil is hot, pour in the salsa from the blender jar. It should sizzle loudly! Stir well and reduce heat slightly. Taste salsa for salt and adjust to your liking. Simmer for 5 minutes. Pour in the warm broth. Stir well to combine. Simmer for 5 minutes.
• Into the simmering soup base, add the carrots, celery and reserved corn. Cook for 6-8 minutes. Add the zucchini, half of remaining chopped cilantro and half of remaining sliced green onions. Stir well to combine and cook for 5 minutes. If you prefer the zucchini more fully cooked, add a few minutes more of cooking time. Lastly, add the shrimp and cook for just 3 minutes. Cover and remove from heat. Let stand for 5 minutes.
• Ladle soup in 4 large bowls or serve 6 smaller servings. Garnish with lime, fresh cilantro, green onions, avocado and crushed chile piquin or minced serrano pepper. Serve with warm corn tortillas or toasted bolillo bread.

Notes

Not crazy about shrimp? Try this same recipe with previously cooked chicken, shredded and add some toasted fideo. Let the fideo cook for 10 minutes until done!

Tried this recipe?Mention @pinaenlacocina or tag #pinaenlacocina!

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