Joanna Levitt Cea, IDEX’s Impact Investments consultant, shares with us nourishing soup that has long been prepared by her husband’s family in El Salvador.
“This recipe is so simple, and yet packs a powerful punch in terms of vitamins and minerals,” says Joanna. “This soup is often made to support recovery when one is sick. For me, it is a good reminder of the ways in which food is our primary medicine. Also, it is made from the parts of the fish that most people in the U.S. overlook and throw away! So it feels like a very sustainable food to me in that it helps us to fully use, rather than waste, the animal whose life is being taken.”
Joanna’s recipe reminds us of the fisherfolk across the world in South Africa where IDEX partner the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA) fights against polluting industries. These industries are threatening the health and livelihoods of nearly 300,0000 local fishermen, farmers and residents in the South Durban basin.
Desmond D’Sa, Executive Director of SDCEA, at the Port of Durban. SDCEA monitors poor operating practices by companies that have led to oil spills, industrial accidents and illegal dumping of toxic wastes, including water pollutants that threaten local marine life.
In addition to challenging industries and government authorities to make South Durban a cleaner and healthier place to live, SDCEA works to educate the fishing community about self-sufficient and sustainable fishing techniques.
In El Salvador, Joanna notes that often use different white fish caught off the coast. When making this in the U.S., she says her favorite fish to use are wild salmon or blue fish, but any flavorful fish will work. Go to the seafood counter of your favorite market or fishmonger and ask whether they have fresh trimmings. (An added bonus is that trimmings are very inexpensive.)
Joanna’s Nourishing Salvadoran Fish Soup
trimmings (head, backbone and tail) from 1 large- or 2 medium-size fish.
2 white onions, diced
1/2 head of garlic, sliced
4 tomatoes, chopped
1 bunch cilantro, chopped
1 to 2 inch chunk of ginger root, sliced
1 to 2 limes, squeezed for juice
1 to 2 avocados, chopped
1 tsp olive oil
salt
Fill a 6-8 quart stock pot with water and put on medium high heat to bring to boil. Rinse the fish trimmings under cold water and put them into the pot. Dice the onions and add to the pot. Peel the ginger root chunk (using a spoon to scrape off the peel works best). Slice into thin rounds and toss them into the pot! Chop up 2 of the tomatoes and toss into the pot. Add salt to taste. Bring to a boil and then turn down. Leave it on low boil for at least 1 hour, or up to 2 hours. After 1-2 hours on low boil, add in the remaining ingredients and let the soup low-boil for another 30 minutes. Peel garlic cloves and cut garlic into thin slices. Toss into the soup. Chop up half of the cilantro bunch and toss in the soup. After 30 minutes, taste the broth and see if it needs more salt.
Serve soup in individual bowls and garnish each bowl with cilantro, a drizzle of olive oil, a squeeze of lime, and some chopped avocado. Goes well with rice, plantains, potatoes or squash.
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