Creamy Seafood Soup

Serves 8-10

Prep time:  About 40 minutes

Cook time:  About 20 minutes

Total time:  About 1 hour (give or take--I didn't really time it)

Ingredients:

1 pound extra large or jumbo shrimp, cleaned and deveined (shells on)

1 tb extra virgin olive oil

5 cups water

1 dozen littleneck clams, scrubbed

1 pound scallops (I used frozen jumbo sea scallops from Trader Joe's)

1 quart fat-free half & half

4 tb butter

4 tb flour (I used coconut flour)*

2 cups diced carrots, onion, and celery (or 1 container of Trader Joes's Mirepoix, which is diced carrots, onion, and celery)

2 tb garlic

salt

pepper

Old Bay seasoning

2 tsp fresh, chopped cilantro

Directions:

Steam shrimp until cooked, saving shells and broth.  Set the shrimp aside.  Add olive oil to a large skillet or saucepot on medium heat.  Add 1/2 cup of diced carrots, celery, and onions and cook for a few minutes until translucent.  Add shrimp shells and stir.  Add reserved broth and 5 cups of water.  Add salt and Old Bay to taste, and simmer for 30 minutes.  Strain stock and set aside, making sure all shells have been removed.

Heat a large soup pot to medium heat.  Melt butter and add celery and onions.  Stir and cook until translucent.  Add garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.  Add flour and stir to make a roux.  Carefully pour in half-and-half and let the mixture thicken.  Add shrimp and carrots.  Once the mixture thickens again, add shrimp stock and stir well.  Add clams, scallops, cilantro, and seasonings.  Cook until clams open, discarding any clams that did not open.  NOTE:  To save time and ensure that your clams won't be extra-tough, you may want to steam the clams separately and add after the scallops.

Enjoy with a salad (and a nice piece of crusty bread... *drool*).  I was thisclose to busting open a can of crescent rolls in a final act of desperation. This would also be *bangin* with a glass of white wine (or white grape juice), unless you're on a journey of total body sufferi--I mean transformation, like me.  In that case, water would do just fine.

*Additional notes:  I used coconut flour to make this gluten-free for no good reason, and because I am currently avoiding regular white flour.  But you could use whatever flour you have.  Probably even whole wheat white flour, which I once used in a pot of cream chipped beef, and no one was the wiser.

Nutritional Info (per serving)

Calories:  223

Total Fat:  6g

Saturated Fat:  3g

Sodium:  380 mg

Total Carbs:  13g

Dietary Fiber:  3g

Sugars:  7g

Protein:  18g

Percentage of Calories

Protein:  32%

Carbs:  23%

Fat:  28%

***Please note that nutritional info is estimated, and varies based on the ingredients you use.***