Tomato Seafood Soup

March is coming. My last March at Hodge. The azaleas are starting again — earlier every year, it seems, like they're impatient, like they can't wait for spring to officially arrive. I understand the impulse. I'm impatient too. Impatient for what comes next, for the life after the kitchen at Hodge, for whatever Dorothy Henderson becomes when she's no longer the lunch lady.

Mrs. Patterson called me into her office this week. She closed the door. She said, "Dot, we're planning the party." I said, "I told you I don't want a fuss." She said, "And I told you that you don't get a choice. March 13. In the cafeteria. During lunch. The children will be there." The children. My children. Not my biological children — my Hodge children, the ones I've fed, the current ones and the former ones. Mrs. Patterson said she's contacted some of the alumni. Former students who are now adults. She said at least three are coming back.

I thought of Derek. The chef in Charleston. The boy who told me I was the reason he went into food. I asked Mrs. Patterson, "Is Derek coming?" She smiled. She wouldn't say. But she smiled, and that smile told me everything.

The virus news is getting louder. It has a name now — COVID-19 — and it's not just in China anymore. Italy is struggling. People on the news are talking about "pandemic" and "social distancing" and words that sound like they belong in a movie, not in real life. Kayla is worried. She says the hospital is preparing. She says the PPE supply is already strained. I don't fully understand what's happening, but I trust Kayla's face, and Kayla's face says this is serious.

I made Frogmore stew tonight. A full pot, enough for six, because I still cook for a crowd even when the crowd is just me. I'll take the leftovers to Miss Corrine tomorrow. She's eighty-five and alone and if there's a virus coming, she needs to be fed by someone who cares. That someone is me. It's always been me.

Now go on and feed somebody.

The Frogmore stew I made that March night was the same recipe I’ve leaned on for thirty years — a little different every time depending on what’s fresh, but always built on a tomato base, always enough for six, always made with somebody else in mind. This tomato seafood soup is the closest I can write it down: the broth is rich and a little smoky, the shrimp go in last so they stay tender, and the whole pot smells like the coast on a good day. If you’re feeding a neighbor, a worried daughter, or just yourself through a hard season, this is the one.

Prep Time: 20 minutes | Cook Time: 35 minutes | Total Time: 55 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

1 lb large shrimp, peeled and deveined
1/2 lb sea scallops, halved if large
1/2 lb firm white fish (cod or haddock), cut into 1-inch chunks
1 can (28 oz) crushed tomatoes
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with juice
4 cups seafood or chicken broth
1 medium onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 medium green bell pepper, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 bay leaf
Salt and black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons fresh parsley, chopped
Crusty bread, for serving

Instructions

Build the base. Heat olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add onion, celery, and bell pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 6–8 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more until fragrant.
Season the aromatics. Stir in smoked paprika, thyme, oregano, and red pepper flakes. Cook for 30 seconds, letting the spices bloom in the oil.
Add the tomatoes and broth. Pour in crushed tomatoes, diced tomatoes, and broth. Add the bay leaf. Stir to combine and bring to a gentle boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the fish. Nestle the white fish chunks into the simmering broth. Cook for 4 minutes until the fish begins to flake.
Finish with shrimp and scallops. Add shrimp and scallops to the pot. Simmer 4–5 minutes until shrimp are pink and curled and scallops are just opaque. Do not overcook.
Taste and finish. Remove the bay leaf. Season with salt and black pepper. Ladle into bowls and top with fresh parsley. Serve with crusty bread for soaking up the broth.

Nutrition (per serving)

Tomato Seafood Soup — A Full Pot for the People Who Need Feeding