Traditionally, a good Mexican meal, starts with a nice bowl of soup as a first course, just after the appetizers. The Spaniards introduced this custom during the colonization. It can be a simple broth of chicken or beef, accompanied with lemon to be squeezed on it, and some onion, chile and coriander leaves, finely chopped to add more flavor, or a more elaborated recipe, using seafood, meat, pasta, leguminous, vegetables, or cereals.

 

However, soups are also eaten in the morning, such as birria, pancita or menudo, chicken soup, or caldo de camaron (shrimp broth), very spiced and hot, since they help to fight the hangover effects. A good quality soup is made using just made chicken, seafood, or beef broths, nevertheless it is also a common practice to substitute these broths by the powdered versions, available in the market, and the flavor varies significantly. So keeping the natural broths into the freezer to be used on soups recipes is a good idea to consider. Mexican soups are also frequently seasoned with herbs, such as coriander, parsley, hierbabuena, or epazote usually fresh, and sometimes with chile (serrano, de árbol, chipotle, or ancho) to prepare a delicius simple clam soup recipe from our free authentic mexican recipes from mexico section.

 

 

Clam soup recipe

Serves 6
Ingredients:

5 pounds of fresh clams with their shells, washing them under cold water, and brushing the shells to get rid of the sand. In case they are not available fresh, substitute them with canned clams (the equivalent in weight of two pounds, without the liquid, but save this liquid since it will add more flavor to your soup)
3 cups of potatoes cut in small cubes
2 cups of chopped celery
¾ of cup of chopped onion
8 cups of seafood broth (It can be substituted with chicken broth)
1cup of finely chopped parsley
1 clove of garlic finely chopped
3 tablespoons of olive oil
Salt and pepper at taste
1 lemon (just the juice)

Preparation:
Heat a large pot and add the olive oil, fry the onion, garlic, and celery, when the onion is transparent, integrate the potatoes and fry for a couple of minutes stirring continuously, add the clams, and allow them to open, covering the pod with a lid, for a couple of minutes, stir occasionally. Integrate the broth and a cup of the clam liquid (in case you are using canned ones), let it simmer covered with the lid for 15 minutes, or when the potatoes are ready, Add salt and pepper at taste, Add the parsley and the lemon juice. Serve immediately, and add some olive oil on top once it is serve into the bowl.