Dining and Cooking
Chefs’ Collections

Shellfish Minestrone With Basil Pesto

This is quite similar to minestrone al pesto or soupe au pistou. But this rustic soup goes aquatic, adding shellfish (or bivalves and cephalopods if you want to quibble), which seem to go perfectly with beans, peas and basil (no nuts or cheese in the pesto, by the way).

Ingredients

For the Pesto

  • 2 ounces fresh basil leaves, a large fistful
  • 1 ounce Italian parsley leaves and tender stems, a small handful
  • 2 garlic cloves, roughly chopped
  • Salt and pepper
  • ½ cup olive oil

For the Minestrone

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 large onion, diced, about 2 cups
  • ½ cup diced celery
  • ½ cup diced carrot
  • Salt and pepper
  • Pinch red pepper flakes
  • Pinch saffron
  • 8 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 bay leaf
  • Small bundle fresh thyme sprigs
  • 1 cup chopped tomato
  • 1 cup cooked cannellini beans or fresh shell beans
  • 24 littleneck clams, well rinsed
  • 7 cups hot fish stock or chicken broth
  • 1 pound squid, cut crosswise in 1/2-inch rings, plus tentacles
  • 1 cup small green peas
  • 1 cup blanched and peeled fava beans, optional
  • Nutritional Information
    • Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)

      764 calories; 37 grams fat; 5 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 25 grams monounsaturated fat; 4 grams polyunsaturated fat; 61 grams carbohydrates; 15 grams dietary fiber; 10 grams sugars; 49 grams protein; 290 milligrams cholesterol; 1234 milligrams sodium

      • Note: Nutrient information is not available for all ingredients. Amount is based on available data.

4 to 6 main course servings

Preparation

  1. Make the basil pesto: Put basil, parsley and 2 chopped garlic cloves in a blender. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Add 1/2 cup olive oil and purée on high speed, scraping down sides as necessary. Pour into a small serving bowl, cover tightly and set aside.
  2. Make the soup: Put 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large heavy pot over medium heat. Add onion, celery and carrot, season generously with salt and pepper and stir to coat. Cook for about 2 minutes, until softened. Add red pepper, saffron, 8 cloves minced garlic, bay leaf and thyme and let sizzle, then add tomato and simmer a few minutes more.
  3. Stir in cannellini beans. Add clams, in one layer if possible, and 1 cup water. Turn heat to high and put on lid. Keep at a rapid simmer until all clams have opened, about 5 minutes. (If desired, remove clams, shuck them and return shucked clams to pot.) Add fish stock and bring to a simmer. Taste broth and adjust seasoning.
  4. Just before serving, add squid, peas and fava beans, if desired, and simmer for 2 minutes. Ladle into shallow soup bowls and stir 2 teaspoons basil purée into each.

1 hour 15 minutes

Dining and Cooking