Thai Seafood Soup (Tom Yum Talay)
This Thai seafood soup is spicy, fragrant and packed with prawns, mussels, squid and crab. An easy homemade recipe that beats takeout.
Ingredients
SEAFOOD
- 500g / 1.1lb raw prawns, with head and shells
- 1 raw blue swimmer crab, cleaned and cut into sections
- 8 Mussels, cleaned and debearded
- 150g / 5.3oz firm white fish, sliced into bite-sized pieces
- 100g / 3.5oz squid tube, scored and sliced into bite-sized pieces
FOR THE BROTH
- 6 cloves garlic, bruised
- 4cm / 1in galangal (NOTE 1)
- 4 stalks lemongrass, cut in half and bruised (NOTE 2)
- 12 kaffir lime leaves, roughly torn (NOTE 3)
- 3 small red chillies, sliced thinly
- 3 cups (750ml / 0.8 US qt) salt-reduced / low-sodium chicken stock (NOTE 4)
- 6 cups (1.5L / 1.6 US qt) water
- 2 ripe tomatoes, cut into wedges
- 1 small brown onion, peeled and cut into wedges
- 2 tsp sugar
- ½ cup (125ml / 4floz) fish sauce (NOTE 5)
- ½ cup (125ml / 4floz) fresh lime juice
- coriander / cilantro, to serve and garnish
Instructions
- Peel the prawns, leaving the tails intact, but do not discard the heads and shells, as they’re used to flavour the broth. Slice a shallow slit along the back of each prawn and remove the intestinal tract. Optional: For presentation, you can leave a few prawns unpeeled to place on top of the soup before serving.
- In a large saucepan, add the prawn heads and shells only (not the peeled prawns), along with the garlic, onion, galangal, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves and chillies. Pour in the chicken stock and water, then place over medium heat and bring the broth to a boil.
- Once the soup comes to a boil, reduce the heat to low and cover the saucepan with a lid. Let it simmer gently for about 30 minutes to allow the flavours to develop. Using a large heatproof strainer, strain the broth into another large saucepan and discard the shells, aromatics and any solids.
- Add the tomatoes, sugar and fish sauce to the strained broth and return it to medium-high heat. Once the soup reaches a boil, add the crab along with the peeled and any unpeeled prawns and cook for about 1 minute. Add the mussels, fish and squid, then cook for another minute. Reduce the heat to low and continue cooking for a further 5 minutes, or until the seafood is just cooked through.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the lime juice. Taste the soup and adjust the seasoning if needed by adding more sugar, salt or lime juice. Give it a final stir, then serve topped with fresh coriander.
Notes
(NOTE 1) Galangal: Galangal root looks similar to ginger, but it’s firmer and harder to cut through. It has a citrusy, slightly woody flavour, while ginger tastes warmer and more peppery. They’re not truly interchangeable, but if you can’t find galangal, ginger is the closest substitute. Use a little less ginger than galangal, as it’s more potent.
(NOTE 2) Lemongrass: Cut about 2 cm from the base of the lemongrass, then keep 10 to 15 cm of the stalk and discard the rest. Peel away 3-4 outer layers, then cut the stalk in half. Lightly smash the lemongrass with a heavy object, such as a rolling pin, to help release its fragrant oils while cooking. (NOTE 1) Galangal: Galangal root looks similar to ginger, but it’s firmer and harder to cut through. It has a citrusy, slightly woody flavour, while ginger tastes warmer and more peppery. They’re not truly interchangeable, but if you can’t find galangal, ginger is the closest substitute. Use a little less ginger than galangal, as it’s more potent.
(NOTE 3) Kaffir lime leaves: Kaffir lime leaves are fragrant, glossy green leaves with a distinctive shape. A single leaf often looks like two leaves joined at the ends. When sold separately, they are usually already split, so count the leaves as they are. For this recipe, one joined leaf equals two individual leaves.
(NOTE 4) Chicken stock: I prefer using salt-reduced chicken stock so I have more control over the sodium level. It’s always better to start slightly under-seasoned than over-seasoned, as you can easily adjust the flavours to suit your taste.
(NOTE 5) Fish sauce: My favourite brand is Thai Squid fish sauce, but any good-quality fish sauce will work. You’ll usually find it in the international aisle at supermarkets or at Asian grocery stores. Fish sauce has a strong, pungent aroma, but it adds incredible depth and savoury flavour to Thai and other Asian dishes.
Seafood: The only seafood that’s essential in this recipe is raw prawns, as the shells are used to flavour the broth. Beyond that, you can customise the soup with whatever seafood you enjoy. I used firm white fish (snapper fillet), squid tube, blue swimmer crab and mussels, but feel free to mix and match based on availability.
Storage - This Thai seafood soup can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. Keep in mind that seafood is delicate, and the texture may soften slightly. For best results, store the soup as soon as it has cooled and reheat gently.
To reheat the soup, place it in a saucepan over low to medium heat and warm it gently until just heated through. Avoid boiling the soup, as this will overcook the seafood and make it tough. Stir occasionally and taste before serving, adjusting the seasoning with a little extra lime juice or fish sauce if needed.
Nutritional information has been calculated using a third-party application and should be used as an approximate guide only.
All cooking measurements are in Australian standard spoon and cup measurements.
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Cheers - Cat T
Nutrition
Serving: 1ServingCalories: 225kcalCarbohydrates: 15gProtein: 27gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 180mgSodium: 2190mgPotassium: 716mgFiber: 1gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 772IUVitamin C: 48mgCalcium: 110mgIron: 3mg