Name: Thai Tom Yum Seafood Soup
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 35 min
Yield: Serves 4
Ingredients: 8 cups seafood or chicken broth; 3 stalks lemongrass, lower third only, bruised and cut into 2-inch pieces; 6 kaffir lime leaves, torn; 2-inch piece galangal or ginger, sliced; 8 Thai bird's eye chilies, bruised (adjust to taste); 3 tablespoons Thai fish sauce (nam pla); 1/4 cup fresh lime juice; 2 tablespoons Thai chili paste (nam prik pao); 1 tablespoon palm sugar or brown sugar; 8 oz shrimp, peeled and deveined; 6 oz squid, cleaned and sliced into rings; 8 oz firm white fish (like sea bass), cut into 1-inch chunks; 1 cup straw mushrooms or oyster mushrooms, halved; 2 Roma tomatoes, quartered; 1/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves, chopped

Instructions

Prepare the broth base

In a large pot, bring the seafood or chicken broth to a boil. Add the lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, galangal (or ginger), and half of the bruised chilies. Reduce heat and simmer for about 10 minutes to infuse the flavors.
Season the soup

Add the fish sauce, lime juice, chili paste, and palm sugar to the broth. Stir well and taste, adjusting the seasonings if needed. The soup should have a balance of spicy, sour, and slightly sweet flavors.
Cook the mushrooms and tomatoes

Add the mushrooms and tomatoes to the broth. Simmer for about 2 minutes until the mushrooms are tender and the tomatoes begin to soften but still hold their shape.
Add the seafood

Gently add the fish pieces first and cook for about 2 minutes. Then add the squid and shrimp. Cook for another 2-3 minutes until all seafood is just cooked through. Be careful not to overcook the seafood as it will become tough.
Final adjustments

Taste the soup one last time and adjust the seasoning if needed with additional fish sauce (for saltiness), lime juice (for sourness), or sugar (for sweetness). Add the remaining chilies if you prefer a spicier soup.
Serve immediately

Remove from heat and garnish with fresh cilantro leaves. Serve hot in individual bowls, making sure each serving gets a good portion of the seafood. Traditionally, the lemongrass, galangal, and kaffir lime leaves are left in the soup but not eaten.

Thai Tom Yum Seafood Soup

Ingredients

Instructions

Nutritional Information