Tom Yum Talay Thai for "Seafood soup"

[Team Sergeant]

Tom Yum Talay

Thai for "Seafood soup"

If you enjoy seafood then try this recipe. It's all over the internet with various ingredients. I've made it many times and have chosen my ingredients over time and testing.

And you'll need to get off your arse and find an Asian food market for some of the ingredients. And when you say "but I will not use all the special ingredients before they go bad!" I freeze the extra lemon grass, galangal and kaffir lime leaf. I keep it next to the frozen squid, mussels, fish and shrimp I get from Walmart. (The Thai chilies can be dried.) No excuses, get to it!

Tom Yum Talay Thai for "Seafood soup"

3 cups water (more is fine, makes a great broth)

1-2 pcs fresh lemon grass, tough tops cut off, cut into 3" lengths and smash

3 pcs garlic, smashed

4 small pieces galangal

1 tsp of sea salt

3-4 pcs fresh kaffir lime leaf

handful of oyster mushrooms

4+ fresh Thai chilies (dry chilies are also fine)

1 tsp Fish sauce (more or less depends on your taste)

Fresh tomato, sliced lengthwise into 6 pieces

Add all the above to the pot and gently simmer for 15-20 minutes (gently being the key word)

While the pot is "gently" simmering defrost the following:

a few mussels

some squid (I buy Aqua Star Reserve Calamari Rings & Tentacles (http://www.walmart.com/ip/Aqua-Star-Reserve-Calamari-Rings-Tentacles-1-lb/34788358)from Walmart)

8 oz fish (I like a white fish, but not tilapia)

1/4 lb small to medium-sized raw shrimp,


Rinse the seafood before adding to soup. Turn up pot to high 1 minute before adding seafood, when it starts boiling it's done.
Then add lime juice to taste, this can be overpowering so add and taste, add and taste

2 limes, juiced (add to taste)

garnish with cilantro

Served with rice.

And , you're not eating the lemon grass, galangal and kaffir lime leaf, it's just there for flavor. I fish them out just before I add the seafood. And if you've never used fish sauce you'll be in for a real treat when you open the bottle! (Yeah, it's supposed to smell like that!)

[mark46th]

"8 oz fish (I like a white fish, but not tilapia)...

I ran a seafood plant for almost 10 years. Every time we tried tilapia, it tasted muddy...

[Team Sergeant]

"8 oz fish (I like a white fish, but not tilapia)...

I ran a seafood plant for almost 10 years. Every time we tried tilapia, it tasted muddy...

Exactly and why I stopped using it, tastes muddy.

[Old Dog New Trick]

Rarely do I read or post in the "Anthony Bourdain" section but I saw this one today. Had to ask my wife (Thai) if she was able to buy Lemon Grass locally now. It was always so hard to find and every time she tries to bring some back from home, Customs takes it from her and waves their finger at her.

She's such an outstanding cook we eat better at home than any of the restaurants in the Seattle-Tacoma area.

Oh yeah, she can buy Lemon Grass locally but expensive. Damn shame if you ask me they grow it in the roadside gutter in Thailand. Maybe why Customs had such a hard-on for it.

Thanks TS I think we'll make some Tom Yum Talay shortly.

[Penn]

For the east coast Mid-Atlantic region, Baldor foods is currently the best supplier for produce and related items.

Sourcing Lemongrass and other difficult items, can often be found at your local commercial produce company. You do not have to own a restaurant, but you must be willing to drive to their location. They usually, will not deliver.

I often see people at my fish and meat supplier buying less than case lots. After all they deal in perishable products. It behooves them to sell to everyone.

http://www.baldorfood.com/product/vegetables/l5-lemon-grass

[mark46th]

I live 5 miles from Little Saigon in Southern California, finding Asian ingredients is easy. One of the good things about living here...

[Team Sergeant]

Rarely do I read or post in the "Anthony Bourdain" section but I saw this one today. Had to ask my wife (Thai) if she was able to buy Lemon Grass locally now. It was always so hard to find and every time she tries to bring some back from home, Customs takes it from her and waves their finger at her.

She's such an outstanding cook we eat better at home than any of the restaurants in the Seattle-Tacoma area.

Oh yeah, she can buy Lemon Grass locally but expensive. Damn shame if you ask me they grow it in the roadside gutter in Thailand. Maybe why Customs had such a hard-on for it.

Thanks TS I think we'll make some Tom Yum Talay shortly.

You guys should have great Asian markets there in the Seattle area! Just need to find them. I get lemon grass here at Lee Lee's (http://leeleesupermarket.com/#slide-3) for a dollar a bunch. And the galangal and Thai chilies are also fairly cheap.

[Old Dog New Trick]

You guys should have great Asian markets there in the Seattle area! Just need to find them. I get lemon grass here at Lee Lee's (http://leeleesupermarket.com/#slide-3) for a dollar a bunch. And the galangal and Thai chilies are also fairly cheap.

We do and she does. I guess cost is a matter of perspective. If she tells me it's expensive that's my metric. I don't go shopping with her. I do know that over the last 17 years I've been married to her she is always in constant search for a better market. She's got three she frequents for freshness and stocking; all within about 10-miles of us.

Kind of like the Thai restaurants in the area. Hard to find a good one that cooks real Thai dishes and not American Thai cuisine (just add more sugar). Good Thai food is hard to find. Guess I'm spoiled that way.