Shellfish Caldo Verde

Recipe by Rich Vellante, Corporate Executive Chef of Legal Seafoods in Boston, Maine.

Recipe Ingredients:

2 pound Idaho® Russet potatoes
6 cups water
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons salt
4 garlic cloves
1/2 tablespoon crushed red pepper
4 thyme sprigs
12 pieces Littleneck clams
12 shrimp, medium size, cleaned
2 links chorizo or linguicia sausage, casing removed, crumbled
1 ounce olive oil
2 cups kale, thinly sliced
1/4 cup white wine

Cooking Directions:

1. Peel potatoes and slice thin.
2. Place water, potatoes, olive oil, salt, garlic, crushed red pepper and thyme in large pot. Bring to boil and every 5 minutes stir with a whisk, to break up potatoes. Cook until potatoes dissolve and you have a shiny, silky and thickened soup base, about 35 minutes. Reserve.
3. Wash shellfish and peel off casing and crumble sausage into size of almonds.
4. Heat large pot with oil and lightly brown sausage. Add clams and white wine and steam 3 minutes, then add shrimp and soup base. Bring to simmer, add kale and simmer 1 minute or until shrimp and kale are cooked.

Makes 4 servings.

Recipe and photograph courtesy of the Idaho Potato Commission.