Inspiration: A few years back, Brandon was lucky enough to go to Brazil with work, and he brought back some wonderful food experiences. He showed me how to make what is now my favorite summer time mixed drink, the caipirinha (Cachaca, limes, cane sugar, delicious), and he told me a story about getting to drink right out of a coconut at a bar. How fun is that? I don’t know how truly Brazilian this soup is (and I always hesitate to label things as a certain cuisine on my blog for that reason), but with the limes and the coconut and the overall tropical feel, this soup had me dreaming of the paradise that I imagine the beaches of Brazil to be. So I’ll leave the name as it is, and I’ll dream of summer time and sun and caipirinhas.

What we Loved: What a light and refreshing soup. Brandon simply adored it and labeled it as one of his favorite soups in a long time, and I have to agree. The broth is light and creamy with just an ever-so-sweet coconut flavor, which is complemented with bright and fresh flavors of cilantro, lime, and shrimp. It’s a very tropical combination of flavors, and it fits perfectly when you’re looking for a light supper or lunch. This will be going into our regular soup rotation for sure!

Helpful Hints: Our only qualm with this recipe is that since shrimp overcooks so easily, it’s very hard to keep the small shrimp pieces from overcooking while they are sitting in a pot of very hot soup. For the leftovers, the shrimp ended up being overcooked. Brandon suggested sauteeing the shrimp separately, then added them into each person’s soup bowls right at serving time, and that seemed like a great solution to me. That way, the shrimp never overcook. Or, another suggestion would be to replace the shrimp with chicken or even white beans – both seem like great options for this soup. And I don’t think that avocado slices on top would hurt, either!

Brazilian Shrimp Soup
Source: Adapted from Annie’s Eats, originally from Food and Wine

Extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 3/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
5 cups chicken stock
1 14.5 oz can unsweetened coconut milk
1 lb medium shrimp, peeled, deveined, and cut in half horizontally
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
The juice from 1/2 freshly squeezed lime
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped

1. Heat the oil in a stockpot over medium high heat. Add the onion and bell peppers, and cook until the vegetables are softened. Add the garlic, and cook for a minute more.

2. Add the red pepper flakes, salt, crushed tomatoes, and chicken stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.

3. Add the coconut milk, and return to a simmer.

4. Add the shrimp, and cook until the shrimp are just cooked through, about 3 minutes.

5. Remove the pot from the heat. Stri in the pepper, lime juice, and cilantro, and serve.