Ha long crab and white fish vermicelli soup with rao ram herb
Prep time 30 mins to 1 hour
Cook time 30 mins to 1 hour
Serves
From The Hairy Bikers
The essence of this soup is the clear fish liquor. It really is fantastically delicate and the flavours are multilayered and precise.
Method
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Put the crabs in a pan and cover with water. Add the ginger, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaves, shallot and a splash of fish sauce. Cover with a lid and bring to the boil. Simmer for 10-15 minutes. Remove the crabs and leave to cool.
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Meanwhile, place the white fish in the hot stock that the crab was cooked in and leave to cook in its residual heat.
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Pick the meat from the crabs. Reserve the white meat for the soup and use the dark meat for another dish.
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Place the noodles in a serving bowl, then add the spring onions, crabmeat, chilli, rao ram herb and lime wedges.
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Bring the broth back to the boil and ladle over the noodles, together with a piece of white fish.
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Serve with fish sauce and freshly ground black pepper on the side.
Ingredients
- 2 fresh whole crabs
- small piece root ginger, sliced
- 1 stalk lemongrass, bruised
- 4 kaffir lime leaves, bruised
- 1 shallot, chopped
- splash of fish sauce, plus extra to serve
- 2 white fish fillets of your choice
- 200g/7oz vermicelli noodles, cooked and cut into manageable lengths
- 50g/2oz spring onion
- 1 large chilli, sliced lengthways and deseeded
- 2 handfuls of fresh rao ram herb, chopped (available at some Asian grocers. You can substitute a mixture of fresh coriander and mint)
- 1 lime, cut into wedges
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
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