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Seafood Opo Squash Soup is a healthy and delicious soup which can be made in less than 30 minutes.
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2 from 1 vote

Seafood Opo Squash Soup

Seafood Opo Squash Soup is tasty, healthy and filled with delicate natural sweetness from opo squash, shrimp, and crab meat. With just one pot and a handful of ingredients, this easy soup will come together in less than 30 minutes.
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Course: Appetizers and Side dishes, Noodle and Soup
Cuisine: Vietnamese
Servings: 3 people
Calories:
Author: Sophie

Ingredients

  • 4 oz peeled and deveined shrimp
  • 1 opo squash, about 1.25 lbs
  • 2 1/2 cups vegetable stock, chicken stock, pork broth or kombu stock
  • 1 tablespoon minced shallots
  • 3 oz crab meat
  • 1 tablespoon fish sauce, divided
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons cornstarch or tapioca starch
  • black pepper
  • scallions, sliced
  • Cilantro, roughly chopped

Instructions

  • Chop shrimps into small pieces and set aside.
    Ingredients for Seafood Opo Squash Soup
  • Trim off both ends and peel opo squash, then cut in half lengthwise. Cut in half lengthwise one more time and remove the spongy white part with seeds. After that, cut into 2-inch long chunks.
    Prep opo squash
  • Bring the stock to a boil in a pot and add opo squash chunks. Cook for 3-5 minutes until the stock is boiling again and opo squash is softened.
    Boiling opo squash
  • Transfer opo squash chunks and the stock to a blender and puree until smooth. You can also use an immersion blender to do this.
    Opo Squash puree
  • Place a pot over medium - medium high heat, add oil and sauté shallots until fragrant. Add shrimp pieces, stir and cook for 30 seconds. Then add crab meat, 1 teaspoon of fish sauce and black pepper, stir and cook for about a minute.
    Cooking shrimp and crab
  • Pour the opo squash puree into the pot. Stir and when it starts to boil, lower heat to a simmer. Add the remaining fish sauce (more or less to taste).
    Cooking Seafood Opo Squash Soup
  • Whisk the cornstarch/tapioca starch with 1 1/2 tablespoons of water and drizzle the mixture slowly into the pot. Gently stir while adding the mixture until the soup is thickened to your liking.
  • Cook for 1-2 more minutes. Add black pepper and sliced scallions, stir and then transfer to serving bowls. You can add more scallions and cilantro to each bowl.

Notes

It's best to use a stock with light flavor for this soup. I use kombu stock, which can be made by either:
  • Soaking a 3''x4'' piece of kombu in 2 1/2 cups of water overnight
  • Placing a 3''x4'' piece of kombu in a pot with 2 1/2 cups of cold water over medium heat. When the water comes to a near boil, remove kombu.
Vegetable stock, chicken stock or pork broth will also work.