Scallop and mushroom soup

Ingredients, servers 6 people:

• 1/2 pound sea scallops (sashimi grade)

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

• Salt and freshly ground white pepper

• 3/4 pound oyster mushrooms, I just tear it apart with my hand

• 5 dry shitake mushroom

• 1 large leek, thinly sliced

• 2 tablespoons thinly sliced fresh ginger

• 1 Tsp of soy sauce

• 1 tablespoon coarsely chopped cilantro for serving

Directions:

1. Wash the dry shitake mushroom, and soak in hot water (not too much, just enough to cover the mushroom) for 1-2 hours until the mushroom is fully hydrated. Take the mushroom out, squeeze all the liquid out of it and thinly sliced it, reserve the soaking water for later use. There might be some sand at the bottom of the soaking liquid, so just make sure you don’t pour that in later.

2. Heat a soup pot and put the butter in, once the butter melts add the leek, saute for couple minutes until it wilts a bit, and then add the ginger. Once you can smell the ginger, add the mushroom (both oyster and shitake) and pepper, saute until you see everything starts to brown a little. You want it to brown a little bit so it gives the soup some nice color, but not too brown. Now you can add the mushroom water you reserved, and then add 3-4 cups more water, and then let it boil and then simmer for 15-20 minutes.

3. Now it’s time to season, add the soy sauce first, taste and then add salt if needed. Let it boil again and your stock is basically done.

4. To serve, thinly slice the scallop and put it in your bowl. Strain the soup and pick out the mushroom, add the mushroom inside the bowl. I actually microwave the bowl at this point for 15 seconds just so it’s not completely cold and also to warm up the scallop a little bit. Once you are done microwaving the bowl with scallop and mushroom in it, pour the strained broth over it.