A quick and easy recipe for fishball soup with shrimp roe noodles
A ready supply of seafood stock in your freezer allows you to whip up
a delicious fishball soup whenever the urge takes you
I am rarely without at least one container of seafood stock in the freezer, ready to go into a soup or sauce. When I cook, I tend to hoard uncooked fish bones, scraps of raw fish meat, and shrimp (and even, when I’ve been indulgent, lobster or crab) shells.
When I collect enough, they go into a pot with just enough water to cover them. I prefer to use the pressure cooker because the resulting broth has more flavour – it needs about 30 minutes on high pressure. If you don’t have a pressure cooker, simmering the ingredients in a regular pot on the stovetop for about an hour works well, too. Strain the stock through a fine sieve, cool it to room temperature, then pour it into air-tight storage containers and freeze. Be sure to label the container so you don’t get seafood stock mixed up with your home-made chicken stock (yes, I’ve done that).
Fishball soup with shrimp roe noodles
I know you can get this at any number of noodle shops in Hong Kong, but I also like to eat it at home. It’s easy enough to make. I buy a few types of fishballs, seafood balls and fish cake from a vendor and freeze an assortment in individual serving packs – usually just one or two of each type – so whenever I need a quick meal, I can add them to dishes like this one (and, if I’m being honest, to my favourite instant noodles). If you want, add fresh shrimp to the noodles – just remember, after peeling them, to freeze the heads and shells for your next batch of stock.
When I was making this dish for the photoshoot, I tasted the water that I’d used to boil the shrimp roe noodles and, to my surprise, found it to be very flavourful. Instead of pouring it down the drain, I added the liquid to the shrimp stock. I also boiled all the fishballs and seafood balls, and the fresh shrimp, in the stock, so by the time we ladled the broth over the noodles, it was so flavourful it only needed a touch of salt.
4 bundles (60 grams each) shrimp roe noodles (I prefer the wide ones)
600 grams shrimp stock
200 grams fish paste (bought from a seafood vendor)
10 grams fresh coriander
¼ tsp finely ground white pepper
4 each of three types of fishballs and/or seafood balls, defrosted, if frozen
12-16 fresh shrimp, with body size about 8cm in length
3-4 spring onions
6-8 yellow chives
A handful of bean sprouts
Coriander leaves and chilli oil, for serving
Fine sea salt, to taste
