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This superb soup recipe was sent by Chilean native Edmundo Magana, now living in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. He notes that it is traditional, with the exception of the chorizo...and also that, in southern Chile, where it would be called curanto, it would include all kinds of fish, seafood, chicken, beef, and pork and would be prepared in a hole in the ground, putting hot/steaming stones in the bottom and covering it with leaves. This variation, as Edmundo puts it, is "a combination of the very gentle aromas of hake and seafood and the all-pervading presence of chorizo, with the sweet touch of a few drops of orange and dry white wine." It has many steps, but assembly at the end is very easy and makes a beautiful presentation. My English version of his recipe is followed by Edmundo's original recipe in Spanish. Serve hot to 6-8 people for a scrumptious meal--with wine, salad, and lots of bread to round it out.

• 2 cups of fish stock (made from hake heads, if available, and dry white wine and water)
• 4 cups dry white wine and water to make shellfish stock
• 1/2 pound mussels, scrubbed
• 3/4 pound small clams, scrubbed
• 1/2 pound shrimp, washed
• 2 cups water
• 1 pound waxy potatoes (so they hold up under cooking)
• 1/2 pound hake fillets (cod is also okay)
• 1 Tablespoon safflower oil
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 large onion, chopped fine
• 1 green chili pepper, chopped fine
• salt and pepper
• 1/2 pound chorizo sausage (Spanish variety), sliced into rounds

Garnish: 1-2 Tablespoons chopped cilantro; 1 orange, grated then halved, saving half for sqeezing the juice and the other for peeling and slicing; several Tablespoons dry white wine; 1 small raw carrot, cut into chunks; 2 sliced hardboiled egg; and finely sliced chili pepper

Garnishings: Pass separately a dish of lemon slices and grated Parmesan cheese

You will be making three separate stocks in this recipe that will be combined into the soup. You should also be sure to get all the garnishes ready in advance of final assembly.

First make 2 cups of fish stock, with hake heads, water, and wine...other fish parts...or using a commercial preparation. When strained and ready, leave heating in a large pot.

Second, peel the potatoes, cut into about 8 large pieces, and cook, covered, in 2 cups of water until the potatoes are tender. Strain the potato water into the stock pot and reserve the potatoes.

Third, cover the mussels, clams, and shrimp in about 4 cups of a combination of wine and water. Bring to a boil, cover, and cook 5 minutes only. Strain stock and pour into the stock pot. At this point, you should have about 8 cups of stock in the pot. Reserve the shellfish, peeling the shrimp.

Bring the stock to a simmer, season to taste with salt and pepper, then add the hake fillets, cover, and let simmer for 15-20 minutes. Remove the fillets, break into bite-sized pieces, and return to the soup.

Saute the garlic, onion, and chili pepper in a skillet in the safflower oil over medium-high heat until they are transparent, then scrape into the soup.

Add a little more oil to the skillet and fry the sliced chorizo sausages. When they are cooked, drain on paper towels and reserve.

When ready to serve, bring the soup to a boil and begin the assembly: Place the potato chunks in the bottom of the serving bowl (ideally an earthenware bowl, but a Dutch oven is fine). Arrange the mussels, clams, and shrimp on top of the potatoes. Pour the boiling soup over the seafood. Sprinkle chorizo slices over the top, then cilantro, then the orange juice and wine, carrot chunks, sliced hardboiled eggs, and finely sliced chili pepper.

Bring to the table in triumph and serve immediately.

Ingredientes:

• 2 cabezas de merluza o rape
• 1/4k filete de merluza
• 1/4k mejillones
• 1/4k almejas
• 1/4k gambas
• 1/2k patatas
• ajo
• cebolla
• cilantro
• 4 huevos duros
• sal
• pimienta blanca
• limon
• zanahoria
• aji verde fresco
• naranjas (de preferencia tropical)
• chorizos espanoles
• vino blanco

Preparacion:
Preparar un caldo con las cabezas usando vino blanco (1/2l) y agua. Dar dos hervores. Colar.

Preparar separadamente caldos con los mariscos lavados. Echar en la cacerola vino blanco suficiente para que cubra los mariscos. Dar a cada caldo un solo hervor y no hervir por mas de 5 minutos. Colar. Retirar los mariscos y dejar enfriar.

Cocer en una cacerola aparte las patatas (escoja una especie dura). Sacar a punto y reservar.

Reunir en una cacerola todos los diferentes caldos y agregar el filete de merluza. Cocer durante 15 a 20 minutos. Desmenuzar luego.

Freir levemente o saltear en aceite de girasol un diente de ajo picado en rodajas muy finas y una cebolla cortada en anillos muy finos. Echar el sofrito a la cacerola. Agregar sal y pimienta. Corregir la sazon. Hervir por 5 minutos.

Agregar las patatas cocidas cortadas a lo largo en cuatro trozos cada una. Freir el chorizo y cortarlo en rodajitas.

La sopa esta lista para ser armada y servida.

Para servir se depositan las patatas en el fondo del cuenco, de modo que sirvan de base para los mariscos que se pondran encima (deben sobresalir). Echar el caldo. Agregar las rodajas de chorizo (a gusto, aunque sugiero tres). Agregar cilantro picado. Agregar una cucharada o dos de jugo de naranja y/o poner una rodaja en el borde del cuenco. Echar un chorrito de vino blanco frio. Echar zanahoria picada (no muy fina) y/o medio huevo duro cortado en rodajas finas. Agregar aji fresco verde cortado en cuadrados pequenos (pocos). El limon se usara a gusto.

En otra receta se pone el chorizo frito (entero) en el fondo del cuenco, poniendo por encima las patatas (pues el chorizo debe permanecer en el fondo, para ser consumido despues de los mariscos).

Esta misma receta, retirandole el chorizo, puede servirse con queso parmesano.