Since we’re cozying up to soup and sweater season, here’s a culinary hack to help when you want to prepare an impromptu pot of steamy, simmering, satiating soup featuring wild-caught seafood. Two words: Quick Cuts.
Just for some context, we currently offer this cut of fish in two species: Wild Alaska Pollock Quick Cuts and, as of this week, brand-new Pacific Halibut Quick Cuts. Each pack of either Quick Cuts contains bite-sized cuts of fish that fit perfectly in a soup spoon.
Back to the hack. Quick Cuts can go straight into a pot of soup straight from the freezer, no defrosting required. That means that you don’t need to plan ahead at all to enjoy a sudden soup featuring flaky morsels of fish. In fact, this technique works so well that I sometimes find myself cooking Quick Cuts from frozen even when I do plan ahead.
My technique:
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Cut open a pack of Quick Cuts, then submerge the block of frozen fish into whatever you’ve got simmering on the burner.
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Pop a lid on it for about 10 minutes, or until the pieces of fish have thawed enough to break apart.
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Then, take the pot off the heat and allow the fish to poach through before serving.
I have a few recipes in mind that you can try this with:
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For something classic, try this Creamy Seafood Chowder.
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For a chowder with an Italian twist, make this Tuscan Seafood Stew.
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For something with a little spice, you can try this Thai-Inspired Green Curry.
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For a favorite of mine (I know I share this one a lot!), make a Caribbean Fish Stew.
Beyond soups, Quick Cuts are ideal for when you’re imagining what type of protein to include in something like stir-fries, casseroles, and tacos. They are also perfect kid-food — as in mild, crispy fish nuggets in less than half an hour. I also mentioned Pacific Halibut Quick Cuts earlier on, which are also wonderful for all of the above — they’re our current Member Special, which you can consider adding to your next box when you log in to your account.
P.S. Don’t have any Quick Cuts in your freezer this evening, but inspired to cook something from frozen? You can try cooking salmon from frozen with one of the methods we have up on our blog post How to Cook Salmon Straight Out of the Freezer. I find that you’ll sacrifice some control over the doneness of the fillet when preparing it this way, but it’s a good technique to know in case you ever have a sudden salmon craving.
Live Wild,
Monica
Pictured above: A frozen block of Wild Alaska Pollock Quick Cuts being lowered into a pot of our version of a classic Fish Chowder — made with potatoes (of course!), a touch of cream, smoked paprika for savory depth, and a splash of fish sauce for unexpected umami.
