I’m excited to welcome my friend Russ Crandall to Nom Nom Paleo as a guest blogger!
Russ is a Paleo-friendly home chef and blogger who writes under the name The Domestic Man. After suffering a number of medical hardships, he regained his health through changes in his diet in 2010. He offers a unique culinary approach in the Paleo world: The Domestic Man is less a place for new kitchen experiments and more a site dedicated to re-popularizing traditional heritage foods that are either already healthy or easily modified to meet his dietary parameters.
Russ’s culinary chops and clean, beautiful photography are a constant source of inspiration for me. If you’re not already a huge fan of The Domestic Man, it’s time to catch up: Go bookmark his site, like his Facebook page, and follow him on Twitter!
So without further ado, here’s Russ with a lip-smacking recipe for Caldo de Langostinos!
First of all, I want to take a moment and say thanks to Michelle for letting me write a guest recipe. I’m a huge fan of her site and it’s a little nerve-wracking to think that one of my dishes is going to be on her page! For today’s post I thought I would do something unique by showcasing a criminally-underused seafood that I’ve recently fallen in love with.
Langostinos (Pleuroncodes Monodon, also called “squat lobsters”) are small, lobster-like crustaceans most often fished off the coast of Chile. They are found in abundance worldwide, but sadly, they are rarely caught for human consumption; instead, they’re used as feed in fisheries, mostly because they carry a certain pigment that helps color farm-raised salmon and trout. They have a sweet, shrimpy taste to them and can be found for relatively cheap – so if you can get your hands on them, definitely give them a try.
This recipe in particular is modeled after a traditional Mexican soup, Caldo de Camarón, which is typically used with shrimp. If you don’t have any langostinos on hand, shrimp can be used with this recipe.
Serves four
- 2 large, mild, dried chiles (Anaheim, Guajillo)
- 1 medium onion
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp dried oregano
- 1 (14.5 oz) can whole, puréed, crushed, or diced tomatoes
- 1 tsp olive oil
- 2 (6.5oz) cans chopped clams
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 2 cups water
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 lbs shelled langostinos or shrimp
- 2 carrots, peeled and diced
- ½ tsp each salt and pepper (plus more to taste at the end)
- red chili flakes or hot sauce, to taste (optional)
- chopped cilantro and lime wedges (to serve with)
To start, soak your chiles in water for 30 minutes, then cut off the stems and remove the seeds. In a food processor, blend the chiles, onion, garlic, oregano, and canned tomatoes.
In a pot, warm 1 tsp olive oil on med/low heat for a minute or two, then add the purée. Simmer for six minutes, until aromatic, stirring constantly so that it doesn’t splatter everywhere.
Add the juice from the canned clams, 1 cup chicken broth, 2 cups water, and a bay leaf. Simmer for five minutes, allowing the flavors to marry.
In the meantime, get your langostinos ready and dice up the carrots.
Add the carrots and continue to simmer for five more minutes. Next, add the langostinos and clams, allow it to return to a simmer, then turn off the heat, cover, and let it sit for 10 minutes. This will allow the flavor to penetrate the seafood without overcooking it.
Prior to serving, add salt and pepper to taste. If you want to make it a little spicier, add red chili flakes or some hot sauce. Serve with chopped cilantro and lime wedges.
This looks crazy good, don’t you think? Langostinos are one of my FAVORITE crustaceans, and this recipe hits it out of the park. If you dig Russ’s recipe as much as I do, give him some love in the comments!
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