Seafood Egg Drop Soup
This seafood egg drop soup is a fast recipe that can be made in 15 minutes or less. My kitchen is warmer during this time of the year (and photography is more difficult because of the sun creeping in). To combat the hot weather, I did not thicken my egg drop soup with cornstarch for a lighter taste. I ended up liking the soupier texture of this seafood egg drop soup.
See Also:
- 15-minute Seafood Miso Soup Recipe
- Spinach Egg Drop Soup Recipe
- Corn Egg Drop Soup Recipe
- Crab Egg Drop Soup Recipe
INGREDIENTS
FROZEN MIX SEAFOOD PACK
This recipe can be whipped up quickly because of my packet of frozen mixed seafood (pictured above). The seafood is ready to use after thawing, so I don’t have to bother with peeling & de-veining the shrimp, washing the clam shells etc. I got this seafood pack from Don Don Donki (SG), and I like that the shrimps are clean and the seafood taste fresh despite being frozen. I used the same seafood mix for my 15-minute seafood miso soup. Most Japanese supermarket generally carry 1 or more brands of such frozen seafood mix.
The seafood pack consists of deveined shrimp (prawn), clam meat & cut squid.
OTHER INGREDIENTS
I also prepared sliced shiitake mushrooms, snow peas and ginger.
STEP-BY-STEP PHOTOS
Make quick soup base. The soup base is made of packet chicken stock (which you can substitute with chicken consomme or cube), water & dashi powder. Bring to a boil.
Add thawed seafood, mushroom & ginger. After that, bring the soup to a boil until the shrimps are just cooked (about 2-3 minutes).
This is the cooked ingredients which I fished out for a photo. Bring the soup to a boil again.
Make the egg drop soup. Make sure the soup is boiling then turn off the stove. Immediately swirl in a beaten egg all around the pot.
Wait a few seconds and at the first sight of the egg solidifying, stir the soup slightly to disperse the egg. This method will yield bigger egg flowers. I think big flowers go well with un-thickened egg drop soup, while smaller dainty egg flowers go well with soup that has been thickened with cornstarch slurry.
Add the snow peas. Most people will probably add the snow peas earlier, but I don’t want my snow peas to overcook & turn yellow. I’m treating the snow peas as a garnish instead of the usual scallions, so I want them to look vibrant. If you like the snow peas to be more cooked, add them before making the egg drop.
Dish out the soup. I enjoyed the lightweight taste of this seafood egg drop soup. It goes well with rice or as a side dish soup. You can also add noodles to make it a one-dish meal!
Seafood Egg Drop Soup Recipe
This seafood egg drop soup has a lighter, soupier consistency as it is not thickened with cornstarch. If you want a thicker soup consistency, add cornstarch slurry before doing the egg drop.
This soup goes well with rice, or serve it as a side dish soup. You can also add noodles to make it a one-dish meal!
Check out the ingredients & step-by-step photos on the previous page.
Ingredients:
- 100g assorted frozen seafood (thaw before use; see cooking note below)
- 3 fresh shiitake mushroom caps cleaned with damp kitchen paper, then sliced thinly
- 2 slices ginger
- 3 snow peas prepped & cut to short sections
- 1 egg lightly beaten
(A) Soup Base
- 150ml chicken stock see note below
- 300ml water
- 1/2 tsp dashi powder optional; substitute with a pinch of salt if needed
- 1/2 tbsp sake optional
- 2 dashes of white pepper powder
Directions:
- Make soup base by adding (A) into a soup pot. Bring to a boil & season to taste.
- Add thawed seafood, mushroom and ginger. Boil until the shrimps (prawns) are just cooked, about 2-3 minutes. Add snow peas and cook for another 30 seconds.
- Make egg drop. Turn off the stove while the soup is still bubbling. Swirl in the egg all around the pot. Wait a few seconds and at the first sight of the egg solidifying, stir the soup slightly to disperse the egg. This method will yield bigger egg flowers just like in the recipe photo. For finer egg flowers, stir continuously in one direction once the egg is added in.
Cooking Note(s)
- Most Japanese supermarkets sell frozen mixed seafood packs. I got mine from Don Don Donki (SG) – it consists of shelled shrimps + clams and squid pieces. As my seafood pieces are shell-less, adjust the weight of the seafood if they come with shell on.
- This recipe uses packet instant chicken broth as a base which is concentrated and rich in taste. That is why it is needed to thin the soup with water. You can substitute the chicken stock with water + chicken consumme or bouillon cube instead.