How to Cook Spanish Meatballs In Seafood Soup

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 30 mins

Cooking time: 25 mins

Ingredients needed to make Spanish Meatballs In Seafood Soup:

• 300 gm minced pork
• 300 gm squid, sliced into rings
• 300 gm chorizo, chopped into bite-sized chunks
• 400 gm clams, scrubbed and debearded
• 3 small shallots, diced
• 3 garlic cloves, 1 sliced and 2 smashed
• 300 gm tomatoes, finely chopped and squashed into a pulp
• 1 egg yolk
• 50 gm fresh breadcrumbs
• 2 tbsp dry sherry
• 100 ml white wine
• 25 gm butter
• 50 ml olive oil
• Extra virgin olive oil, as required
• 1 heaping tsp Spanish smoked paprika
• Handful of fresh parsley leaves, coarsely chopped

Cooking instructions for Spanish Meatballs In Seafood Soup:

• Add a knob of butter to a heavy-bottomed casserole and throw in the shallots to sauté for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until they soften.
• Sprinkle the paprika over it and stir them well together along with the smashed garlic, to cook for a minute or until the paprika gives out a smoky aroma.
• Spoon in the sherry and give it a good stir to mix well before transferring it to a bowl of breadcrumbs.
• Adjust the seasoning and dump the minced pork into the same bowl, followed by the egg yolk.
• Stir them well together until the ingredients are distributed evenly throughout the mixture.
• Take portions of the above meat mixture and shape them into 18 small balls.
• Wipe the casserole clean and drizzle a lashing of oil to heat it over moderately high heat.
• Throw in the meatballs and fry them in batches, for about 5 minutes or until they brown slightly.
• Drain them out into a plate and toss the chorizo chunks as well as rest of the garlic into the pan.
• Stir fry for a couple of minutes and throw in the squid rings.
• Continue to cook for another 2 minutes or until the squid browns slightly and add a splash of wine into it.
• Give it a good stir to mix well and bring the soup to a boil.
• Whisk in the tomato pulp and plop in the clams as well as meatballs.
• Continue to boil for half a minute and then reduce it to a simmer to cook, covered, for about 5 minutes or until the shells snaps open.
• Throw away those which still remain closed and fold in the chopped parsley leaves.
• Ladle it into serving bowls and finish it off with a drizzling of extra virgin olive oil.
• Serve alongside a large chunk of crusty bread.

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons