A Quick Curried Fish and Herb Soup for Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays

For some reason the week really got away from me and the weekend has been a bit crazy so I didn't have time to make the cold soup I had tabbed for this week. Instead, I have a quick and easy soup I threw together last week when I was craving something a little spicy and different. This recipe for Curried Fish and Herb Soup comes from "Souper Duper Soups: Healing Soups for the Mind and Body" by Michael Van Straten. I like this book because it has quick and easy soups with various health benefits like "immunity-boosting soups", "restorative soups", "good mood soups", "warming soups", etc. This soup is listed under "slimming soups", which are lower fat, yet still filling. I thought the combination and simplicity sounded good and I had some local Kajiki (Pacific Blue Marlin) that I thought would work well in it. 

Van Straten says: "Here's a very low-fat, spicy soup that makes a great one-pot meal for slimmers. Low in calories, rich in nutrients, substantial and filling, this would make a perfect evening meal followed by a salad, some fresh fruit and about 2 oz of low-fat cheese. Dieting can be stressful, and this combination of nutrients helps fight the stress as well as the flab."

Curried Fish and Herb Soup

Souper Duper Soups, Michael Van Straten

(Makes about 6 cups)

1/2 Tbsp unsalted butter (I used olive oil)

1 onion, very finely chopped

1 Tbsp curry powder

12 oz white fish, firm, skinless and boneless, cut into small chunks

1 sprig thyme

1 sprig parsley

1 bay leaf

1 pinch saffron

5 cups fish stock, homemade or good quality bouillon cube or powder

1 cup low-fat yogurt

Melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the onion and saute gently until soft and golden. Sprinkle with the curry powder and continue cooking for 2 minutes, stirring thoroughly so that the curry powder is well combined.

Add the fish, herbs and spices and the fish stock. Bring to a boil and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the fish is cooked. Remove the bay leaf and woody herbs. Add the yogurt and stiff carefully without breaking up the fish.

"Vital Statistics: Iodine in the fish stimulates the thyroid.  Traditional curry spices help boost the circulation and metabolism. You get extra calcium and B vitamins from the yogurt."

Notes/Results: Savory, lightly spicy and very good, this made the perfect simple dinner. Filling but not heavy, it is a very satisfying soup that really hit the spot and it is a gorgeous color from the curry and saffron. It is easy enough to make and light enough that it works even in warm weather. The only changes I made were using olive oil to cook the onions and using a local fish. A keeper recipe--I think I might throw in some fresh corn the next time I make it to change up the texture a bit and add some sweetness.

Let's see who is here for Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays:

L.K. from Healthy. Delicious. tried her hand at Beef Pho (Pho Bo) this week and says, "It might seem silly to made soup in the summer, but then again it might seem silly to make souffle in 90-degree heat, so chalk thus one up to me “doing something crazy” theme this week if you want. Anyway, I’ve heard that eating hot foods when its hot out actually cools you off. I don’t know how much I believe that, but it did make a good summer meal and it was light enough that it didn’t make me really full. I hate feeling full when its hot out, so that was good."

Also rethinking her position on soup during the summertime is HeatherFeather from Lavender Blue, here with an Italian Style Chicken & Vegetable Soup. Hailing from the temperate climate of Florida means there are fewer cold days to enjoy a bowl of warm soup so she decided not to wait for a rainy day. She says, "The soup was really easy to make and was rather tasty. I made only a few minor changes to the recipe, although I think next time I might trying using some leftover roasted, shredded chicken instead of bothering with the diced chicken, and I might also add some tiny cooked pasta shapes. Oh.. and guess what... it even rained for the occasion."

Ulrike from Küchenlatein says, "This week I made a Potato-Cream Soup with Chanterelles for a German event called "Fremdkochen", cooking from other blogs. Chanterelles are in season now, they are fried with bacon and added to the soup just before serving with a dollop of sour cream. The soup is simple, just a potato soup seasoned with fresh thyme and enriched with sour cream." Looks like a creamy and delicious dish that makes the most of her seasonal produce.

Natashya from Living in the Kitchen with Puppies says, "I am on a cold soup kick this summer. I don't even know if I had ever had one before this year but I seem to be making them regularly lately." This week she tried Tyler Florence's Watermelon Gazpacho. Natashya says, "A soup you can make in a blender, what can be better than that? This gazpacho is lighter and a little sweeter with the addition of watermelon. I found it very refreshing. Perfect for a hot summer day."

Inspired by a childhood favorite, "Ants on a Log", Chrystal and Amir from The Duo Dishes, created this sweet and savory Celery, Apple and Raisin Salad with Peanut Dressing. The Duo says, "A crunchy, sweet salad with spicy peanut butter dressing. For some folks, it may sound…well…gross. Honestly, it was off the chains! It’s great as a side salad, but if you decided to toss it with grilled chicken, shrimp, tofu or noodles we wouldn’t be mad. There are a lot of really distinct flavors that harken back to Thai food, so if you’re a fan of Thai, you’ll probably love it as much as we did".

Deciding to "go a little bit crazy with the fruit" this week, Heather from girlichef put together a gorgeous Fruit & Yogurt Salad with Honey & Cinnamon, that she calls "a big bowl of summertime satisfaction." Heather says, "Choose your favorite fruits...or some new fruits you haven't tried...or just use the same ones I picked (it was a good combo)...go fruit wild! I went with 6 fruits all in various colors-because it's all about eating with eyes! Now...make yourself a little yogurt dressing for tossing it all up and bringing it together well."

Joanne from Eats Well with Others loves her pasta and made the most of it with a Greek "Caprese" Pasta Salad. Joanne says, "Since I really loved the fresh tomato sauce from last week's caprese salad, I decided to remake it but with a twist. I Greek-ified it. You see, I had feta cheese on a salad the other day and set myself off on another craving spree. I think everyone felt the same way because I left with two pounds worth of pasta salad and came home with an empty bowl."

Joining us this week is Kim from Stirring the Pot, from Georgetown, Kentucky. Busy cooking from a new cookbook, she made some Apple-Walnut Turkey Sandwiches. Kim says, "This is a perfect no-cook lunch or dinner that is quick to throw together. For this recipe, I replaced the mayo with my Oikos Greek Yogurt. I love the idea of using the Greek yogurt to replace the mayo because the yogurt has zero fat, is lower in calories, and is much creamier than mayo! his was sandwich was delicious, filling and just plain lovely. I really enjoyed the crunch of the celery, apples, and walnuts."

As usual we had great recipes this week--a little something for everyone. Thanks to all who participated. If you have a soup, salad or sandwich that you would like to share for Souper (Soup, Salad & Sammie) Sundays, just click on the Souper Sunday link on my side bar for all of 

the details.

Have a great week and don't forget to enter my giveaway for a copy of the new "The Frugal Foodie Cookbook". 

Get the details and read my review of the book, here.