Chunky Peanut Soup
Submitted by cruth55
Chunky peanut soup with a creamy peanut butter base, loaded with potatoes, zucchini, mushrooms, sweet halibut, and peas, then brightened with lemon and cayenne. A hearty West African-inspired bowl.
YIELD
8 servingsPREP
15 minCOOK
25 minREADY
40 minThis is no thin peanut broth. It is a thick, chunky bowl built on a creamy peanut butter base, then crowded with vegetables and tender halibut for a full meal in a pot. The move that keeps it smooth is whisking the peanut butter into a cup of stock before it ever hits the pot, so it melts in instead of clumping.
Everything goes in by timing. Potatoes simmer in the peanut broth first, then zucchini and mushrooms join so they keep their bite, and finally chunks of halibut and bright green peas slip in for just a few minutes, until the fish turns opaque.
A good hit of lemon juice and cayenne at the end is what makes it sing, cutting the richness of the peanut butter with acid and heat. The result tastes a lot like a West African groundnut stew, with a seafood twist.
Chef Tips
- Whisk the peanut butter smooth with a little stock before adding it, or it clumps and refuses to dissolve into the soup.
- Add the fish and peas only at the very end; a few minutes is enough, and longer turns the halibut tough and the peas drab.
- Use crunchy peanut butter for the chunky texture the name promises.
- Taste as you add the lemon and cayenne, since the peanut base is rich and needs both acid and heat to balance.
Variations
- Swap the halibut for shrimp, chicken, or chickpeas.
- Stir in a handful of chopped spinach or kale near the end.
- Add a spoon of tomato paste or a diced sweet potato for a deeper, sweeter base.
Ingredients
Directions
Melt the butter in a large stockpot over medium heat.
When it is hot, add the onion and carrots and cook, stirring constantly, until the onion begins to turn translucent, about 5 minutes.
Meanwhile, mix 1 cup of the stock with the peanut butter in a medium-sized bowl until smooth.
Add the remaining 7 cups chicken stock to the vegetables.
Stir, and add the tomato, potatoes, roasted pepper, and 2 tablespoons of the parsley.
Pour in the peanut butter mixture, and stir.
Cover and bring almost to a boil.
Simmer, partially covered, until the potatoes are cooked through, about 15 minutes.
Then add the zucchini and the mushrooms, stir, and continue cooking until the zucchini is tender but still has texture, about 10 minutes.
Stir in the fish and the peas, and cook until the fish is opaque and the peas are still bright green, 5 to 7 minutes.
Add the lemon juice, stir, and season to taste with salt and cayenne pepper.
Ladle the peanut soup into warmed soup bowls, garnish with the remaining 1 tablespoon parsley, and serve immediately.
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