Lime Soup Recipes

LIME SOUP (SOPA DE LIMA)

Steps:

• Place a large skillet over medium-high heat, and add about 1/2 inch oil. Set aside a baking sheet lined with paper towels. When oil shimmers, add a strip of tortilla; oil is hot enough when tortilla becomes crisp and very lightly browned in about 30 seconds. Adjust heat as necessary and add strips in batches, transferring to paper towels as they cook.
• Heat oven or toaster-oven to 400 degrees. Place cinnamon pieces, oregano and cloves on a baking sheet or metal tray, and roast until lightly browned and fragrant, about 5 minutes; be careful not to burn.
• Place chicken stock in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Add roasted spices, lower heat, and simmer for 10 minutes. Pour stock through a fine-meshed strainer into a clean pan, and return to a simmer. Add diced chicken and simmer until chicken is opaque in center, about 10 minutes. Add 4 to 6 tablespoons lime juice, as desired, and season with salt to taste.
• To serve, place equal portions of chicken in center of each soup plate. Top with a small mound of fried tortilla strips and 1 to 2 tablespoons shredded cheese. Pour chicken broth into bowl, keeping mound intact. Garnish each bowl with avocado, a slice of lime and cilantro.

SOPA DE LIMA (MEXICAN LIME SOUP)

Steps:

• Bring the chicken broth, chicken breasts, red onion, garlic, oregano, salt, pepper, and thyme to a boil in a large pot; reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until the chicken breasts are no longer pink in the center and the juices run clear, 15 to 20 minutes. An instant-read thermometer inserted into the center should read at least 165 degrees F (74 degrees C). Remove the cooked chicken to a cutting board and shred into bite-sized strips; return to the simmering pot.
• Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat; cook the green onions and green chile pepper in the hot oil until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir the tomatoes into the mixture and continue cooking until soft, about 5 minute more; pour the mixture into the pot with the chicken soup. Season with the salt; return the soup to a simmer. Add the lime juice and 1/2 a lime; cook another 10 minutes. Remove the pot from the heat and remove the lime half; stir in the cilantro to serve.

SPICY CHICKEN-AND-LIME SOUP

Steps:

• Fill a large pot with 14 cups water; add chicken, onion, carrots, garlic, halved jalapeño, cilantro sprigs, and 1 tablespoon kosher salt and bring to a boil. Skim foam, reduce heat, and gently simmer until chicken is cooked through, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer all chicken pieces except backbone to a cutting board; continue simmering broth while you remove and discard skin and remove meat from bones. Cover meat and refrigerate; return bones to pot and simmer until broth is reduced by half, about 1 hour.
• Strain broth through a fine‐mesh sieve; discard solids (including bones). Skim fat; transfer broth to a clean pot. (You should have 8 cups; if you don't have enough, add water.)
• Heat 1 inch oil in a pot over medium‐high until it reaches 375 degrees on a thermometer. Add one‐third of tortilla strips and cook until golden and crisp, 2 to 3 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper‐towel‐lined plate; season with salt. Repeat with remaining tortilla strips.
• Shred cooled chicken into 3 cups of bite‐size pieces (reserve remainder for another use). Add to broth along with sliced jalapeño, chopped cilantro, tomatoes, and lime juice. Heat through, about 2 minutes; season with salt. Serve topped with avocados, radishes, cotija, and fried tortilla strips.

SOPA DE LIMA (YUCATAN LIME SOUP)

Steps:

• Cut the tortillas into 1/4-inch strips. Heat the oil in a medium skillet and, when very hot, fry the tortilla strips, in small batches, until lightly golden and crisp, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Transfer to paper towel lined plate to drain. Season with salt, to taste. Repeat until all tortilla strips have been fried. Set fried tortilla strips aside and reserve the vegetable oil.
• Transfer 1 tablespoon of the reserved cooking oil to a large saucepan and add the chopped onion, celery, carrot, and jalapeno pepper. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until vegetables have softened, about 4 minutes. Add the garlic, bay leaf, and Mexican oregano and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the tomato and season lightly with salt. Cook, stirring, until the tomato is softened and has released its liquid and the mixture is nearly dry, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the chicken stock and chicken breasts and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a slow simmer and cook until the chicken is just cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes. Remove chicken from the soup and set aside until cool enough to handle. Allow soup to continue simmering.
• When the chicken has cooled a bit, shred into bite size pieces and return to the pot along with the green onions and lime juice. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the chicken is heated through and the soup is piping hot. Season the soup, to taste, with salt and ladle the soup into wide soup bowls, with a handful of tortilla strips added to each bowl. Garnish with the avocado and cilantro and serve immediately.

CURTIS' LIME SOUP

Steps:

• In a large pot, heat the oil and saute the onion and garlic. Add the remaining ingredients and simmer until done, about 35 minutes.
• TIP:
• COOKING WITH LIME-SEVICHE
• The acid in the lime "juice cooks" the seafood. The ratio should be at least 3/4 cup lime juice to one pound of raw seafood such as scallops or shrimp. Season with salt, pepper, and your favorite spice, serve over salad.

CHICKEN LIME SOUP

Steps:

• Spray olive oil mist over the chicken breasts, then squeeze the juice of 1 lime over them. Grill (or broil) the chicken over medium heat for 5 minutes per side. Cool for a few minutes, then dice or shred. Set aside.
• Bring the chicken broth to a simmer. Add the bell pepper, garlic, celery and carrot. Cook over low heat for 15 minutes. Stir in the zucchini and cook for 5 minutes. Add the reserved chicken, the juice of the remaining limes and the tomato. Season with salt. Simmer for a couple of minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in the cilantro and salsa, or pass them at the table.
• For Salsa: Combine the onion, tomatoes, chile, garlic, cilantro and lime juice in a bowl. Season to taste with salt. Yields about 2 cups.

GARLIC LIME SOUP

Steps:

• Saute garlic in oil SLOWLY til very soft and golden.
• Add broth, bring to a simmer, add lime juice and cilantro.
• Garnish with a few whole cilantro leaves.
• Obviously this can be played with--I've tossed in chopped avocado, crushed tortilla chips, chopped tomato, etc. But the basic simplicity is its beauty.

MEXICAN LIME SOUP

Steps:

• Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add garlic and stir 20 seconds. Add chicken and oregano to pot; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Sauté 3 minutes. Add broth and lime juice and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gently until chicken is cooked through, about 8 minutes. Season soup to taste with salt and pepper.
• Divide crushed tortilla chips among 6 bowls. Ladle soup into bowls. Top soup with avocados, tomatoes, green onions, cilantro and jalapeños. Garnish with lime slices and serve.

LIME SOUP

Steps:

• Set the chicken in a large, heavy stockpot and fill it with cool water to cover by at least 1 inch. Halve 1 of the onions. Add the carrots, the onion halves, celery, garlic cloves, bay leaves, and peppercorns and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Decrease the heat to medium and simmer gently for 2 hours, skimming off any scum that rises to the top. Remove the chicken from the broth and let rest in a large dish until it is cool enough to handle. Strain the chicken broth and return it to the stockpot. You'll have 10 to 12 cups of broth. Remove the skin from the cooled chicken and discard; shred the meat and return it to the broth in the stockpot.
• Heat the oil in a large skillet set over medium heat. Cut the remaining onion into 1/4-inch dice. Sauté the diced onion, minced garlic, poblano, and corn for about 3 minutes until the vegetables are soft. Stir the sautéed vegetables into the chicken stock, stir in the salt, oregano, and lime juice and bring the mixture to a simmer. Taste and add more salt and lime juice if needed. Serve hot with the toppings of your choice.
• do it early
• The soup can be made up to 2 days in advance, covered, and refrigerated.