Yucatan Lemon Soup
I love, love, love this soup.
Ingredients
- 4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
- 1 medium onion cut into quarters
- 2 jalapeño peppers seeded and quartered [if you want it a bit more spicy, get serrano peppers]
- 8 cloves garlic crushed and peeled
- 3 tablespoons finely grated Meyer lemon zest (see Tip)
- 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds [We just use ground cumin as the seeds can be hard to find]
- 1 4- inch cinnamon stick [Again we just use ground cinnamon]
- 4 whole cloves [or ground cloves]
- 1 pound raw shrimp (26-30 per pound), peeled and deveined
- 3 tablespoons Meyer lemon juice (see Tip) [we use just fresh squeezed lemon juice when we can’t find Meyer lemons]
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon hot sauce or to taste (optional) [We leave this out]
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
Instructions
- Bring broth, onion, jalapeños, garlic, zest, cumin seeds, cinnamon stick and cloves to a simmer in a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Cover, reduce heat, and continue to simmer for 20 minutes. Strain the broth (discard solids). [We actually keep the onions and eat them with the broth]
- Return the broth to the pan and bring to a low simmer. Add shrimp, lemon juice, salt and hot sauce (if using). Cook until the shrimp are pink and firm, about 3 minutes. Stir in cilantro and serve.
Notes
Tip: Meyer lemon juice concentrate can be purchased online from perfectpuree.com. Although nothing can replicate the distinct sweet, tart, floral taste of a Meyer lemon, you can use 2 tablespoons of regular lemon juice plus 1 tablespoon orange juice to replace the 3 tablespoons juice in this recipe, and regular lemons for the zest.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!