A Thai-inspired Seafood Soup

Ingredients

• 2 cups coriander leaves
• 6 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
• 2 Thai chilli peppers, thickly sliced
• 2-inch piece of fresh giner, peeled and coarsely chopped
• finely grated zest of 1 lime
• 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil (or other light oil)
• 1 can unsweetened coconut milk
• 2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
• juice of 2-3 limes, to taste
• salt, to taste
• 1 bottle 60° North Shetland lager
• 1 kg fresh Shetland mussels, scrubbed and debearded
• other seafood: fresh scallops, fish or prawns

Method

1. Combine the garlic, gniger, chilli peppers, coriander, lime zest and olive oil and using a food processor or immersion blender, process/blend to a paste.
2. Whisk in the coconut milk, broth and lime juice. Season with salt. This is easy to prepare early and set aside.
3. In a large soup pot, bring the lager to a boil over a high heat. Boil until redued to 1/2 cup.
4. Add the mussels, cover and cook, shaking the pot a few times, until the mussels just begin to open, about 4 minutes.
5. Uncover the mussels and stir in the coconut milk-broth mixture. Cover and cook, shaking the pot a few times, about 5 minutes, bringing the broth back to a boil.
6. Put in the remaining seafod (if any) and cover for another 3 minutes.
7. Spoon the mussels, seafood and broth into bowls and serve.
8. This is great for cold Shetland nights, served plain or over rice, or with bread to dip.