Jonah's Float: A Seafood Soup

Okay, so this soup is RIDICULOUSLY easy, but oh so flavorful! A lot of seafood soups are cream-based, but the deliciousness of this dish is in the broth. It is jam-packed with flavor that you might just want to drink it!
The fresh Dungeness Crab and Shrimp can really be replaced with almost any seafood. I chose these because part of making the broth is making a rich seafood stock. Yes, you can purchase pre-made stock, but if you are going to have shells anyway, why not make it??

NOTE: I specify head-on shrimp because using the heads in stock gives it that extra flavor of umami. You can usually find these at specialty Asian stores. If not, headless shrimp will work just fine!

Also, if you prefer not to use vodka (BUT WHY?????? j/k) you can substitute with white wine or more stock.

Hat tip to those of you who get the reference in the title!!! 😀😀😀😀😀

Jonah's Float: A Seafood Soup

Serves 4

• STOCK
• 12 ounces large head-on shrimp, peeled, deveined, heads and shells reserved
• 1 large Dungeness Crab, cleaned, cut into sections, body reserved
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1T kosher salt
• 4 cups water
• SOUP
• 2T extra virgin olive oil
• 1T butter
• 1/2 sweet onion, diced
• 2 stalks celery, diced
• 2 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup vodka
• 1 cup butternut squash, cubed
• Himalayan Sea Salt and Freshly Ground Pepper
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp cayenne, to taste
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp ground thyme
• 1 tsp Fisherman's Wharf seasoning or Old Bay seasoning
• 1 cup baby spinach, chopped
• 1T lime juice
• 1 T minced fresh parsley
• Fresh sourdough garlic bread

MAKE STOCK: Combine water with reserved heads and shells from the shrimp and the body of the crab. Set aside shrimp and crab claws for later. Add bay leaf, garlic, and salt and bring to a boil. Simmer for 15 minutes, until reduced to 3 cups. Skim the surface periodically to remove any impurities from the surface.

Drain into a large bowl, discarding shells and bay leaf. Set aside. You may choose to use the meat from the body of the crab if you'd like or discard.

MAKE SOUP: Heat a large Dutch oven over med-hi heat. Add oil. Saute onions, celery and bell pepper until soft, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and saute for another minute, until fragrant.

Deglaze pan with vodka, scraping up all the bits on the bottom. Add reserved stock, cubed squash and seasonings. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, until potatoes are cooked, but not mushy.

Add reserved shrimp, crab claws (reserved crab meat if using) and spinach. Cook another 10 minutes. Add lime juice. Taste and adjust seasonings, if needed. Ladle into bowls and sprinkle with parsley. Serve with a loaf of hot, crusty garlic bread for dipping!