Photo by Tom McCorkle and food styling by Gina Nistico for The Washington Post

 

Everyone seems to love a green smoothie, and it’s a seamless way to get leafy vegetables into your life, so why not green soup? This emerald seafood chowder harnesses the idea by blending handfuls of spinach and parsley into the soup’s base until it is smooth, creamy and vibrantly verdant. After returning the creamy base to a boil, you stir in the seafood, and a brightening hit of lemon juice and zest, and dinner is on the table in less than 5 minutes. Feel free to use any combination of finfish and/or shellfish you like, based on what looks best at the market.

 

Emerald Seafood Chowder

 

 

Ingredients:

 

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 large or two small leeks, white and light green parts, chopped and washed well 

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme or 1 teaspoon dried

1 ½ pound Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into ½ inch dice

½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

¼ teaspoon ground white pepper

4 cups low-sodium seafood or fish stock

3 cups lightly packed spinach leaves

½ cup lightly packed parsley leaves and tender stems, plus more for garnish

1 pound white fish fillet, such as cod or halibut, cut into ¾ inch chunks

½ pound bay scallops or medium-sized shrimp, cleaned and deveined

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest

 

 

Directions:

 

Heat the oil in a soup pot over a medium heat. Add the leeks and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until they have softened, 3 minutes. Add the garlic and thyme and cook for 30 seconds more. Stir in the potato, salt and pepper, then add the stock and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, uncovered, until the potatoes are tender, 10 minutes.

 

Use a slotted spoon to remove about 1 cup of the vegetables from the pot and set that aside. Add the spinach and parsley to the pot and cook until wilted, 30 seconds. Remove the pot from the heat and puree until smooth using an immersion blender. (Alternatively, allow to cool, then puree in several batches in a blender.) The chowder may be made ahead up to this stage and refrigerated for up to 2 days, or frozen.

 

Return the puree to a boil, add the fish and the scallops and simmer until they are just barely translucent in the center, 3 minutes. Stir in the reserved vegetables and the lemon juice and zest. Season with additional salt to taste. Serve in bowls, garnished with parsley.

 

Makes 4-6 servings; yields about 9 ½ cups

Serving size (based on 6): about 1 ½ cups

 

Per serving (based on 6)

Calories  241 ; Total Fat  6 g (Sat Fat 1 g); Protein 21  g; Carb  26 g; Fiber 4  g; Cholesterol  45 mg; Sodium   554 mg; Total Sugar  2 g (including  0 g added sugar)