This soup makes a great appetizer that is light but protein-packed! The distinctive pink color of cooked shrimp comes from a natural antioxidant and anti-inflammatory with an almost unpronounceable name, astaxanthin. Shrimp is also loaded up with the mineral selenium, an essential contributor to healthy thyroid function and metabolism. This soup is ridiculously delicious, with a fragrant infused broth using plenty of garlic, green onions and fresh ginger, and a nice sour kick from the tamarind paste. Seaweed is super nutritious—it’s a great source of folate, vitamin B2 and manganese.
Ingredients
For the Dumplings
- 1 lb (454 g) shrimp
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- ¼ cup (10 g) cilantro leaves
- 2 tsp (4 g) fresh ginger, minced
- 2 tsp (10 ml) coconut aminos
For the Soup
- 8 cups (1.9 liters) Seafood Stock or Chicken Broth
- 4 green onions, chopped, with the green ends reserved for garnish
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tbsp (6 g) fresh minced ginger
- ¼ oz (6 g) dried mixed seaweed
- 2 tsp (4 g) ground ginger
- 2 tsp (10 ml) tamarind paste
- 2 tsp (10 ml) lime juice
- 1 tsp (5 ml) gluten-free fish sauce
How to Make It
- Peel and devein the shrimp, then pat them dry. Add the shrimp to the bowl of a food processor and pulse until the shrimp is roughly chopped and just starting to stick together, like a meatball. Put all the remaining “dumpling” ingredients into the bowl, scrape down the sides and pulse until just combined. Line a baking tray with wax paper. Use a 1 tablespoon (15 ml) cookie scoop to drop bite-size “dumplings” onto the baking tray. Place the baking tray full of dumplings in the refrigerator for at least an hour. Don’t skip this step—chilling is what will help the dumplings stay together when they are cooked in the broth later.
- Add the stock or broth to a large saucepan. Add the green onions, garlic and minced ginger and bring the broth to a gentle simmer. Simmer for about 10 minutes to infuse the broth with flavor from the aromatics. While the broth is infusing, add the dried seaweed to a bowl and cover with cold water to reconstitute it for about 5 minutes. Add the reconstituted seaweed, ground ginger, tamarind, lime juice and fish sauce to the broth, then gently add the shrimp dumplings, too. Cook at a gentle simmer until the “dumplings” are cooked through, about 3–4 minutes.