Being in Florida a lot has allowed me to really taste some incredible things I normally would never try. One of my favorites is a little hole in the wall restaurant in Jupiter called The Food Shack. This is in a strip shopping mall and I promise you would never find it without having someone recommend it. I have to say this is one of my all time favorite places to eat. When I try to describe it to people it is really difficult. It is a funky, Jamaican/Carribean/Thai seafood eatery. The atmosphere is completely laid back and when you eat here you feel like you are sitting at the bar in some island town. What I love best is that the food is so fresh tasting. The ingredients are different all the time and they take great pride in mixing things up all the time. My favorite dish is the “Shack Bowls”. Here is my take on their Shack Bowl that I can take home with me at the end of the summer. Keep in mind…this is simply a guideline. Mix it up. Add your fish or meats as you see fit! It just might be a masterpiece!
The Shack Bowl
4 cups vegetable broth
1 (12-inch) stalk lemongrass, cut into 3 pieces
1 (4-inch) piece ginger, thinly sliced
1 (14-ounce) can coconut milk
5 kaffir lime leaves
1 1/2 teaspoons fish sauce
1/2 teaspoon sugar
2 cups broccoli florets
1 medium carrot, thinly sliced
5 green onions, chopped
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
3/4 pound cod or other firm white fish, cut into 1-inch pieces
rice noodles
Crushed red pepper flakes
Chopped cilantro
In a soup pot, bring vegetable broth to a simmer. Bruise lemongrass and galangal or ginger with a rolling pin or heavy knife and add to broth. Cook, uncovered, for 5 minutes to allow flavors to infuse. Stir in coconut milk, lime leaves, fish sauce and sugar. Increase heat to high and allow soup to come to a gentle boil. Stir in rice noodles, broccoli, carrots and green onions and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in shrimp and fish and cook for an additional 3 minutes, until shrimp and fish are just cooked through and vegetables are tender. Take from heat. Remove ginger, lime leaves and lemongrass, then ladle soup into bowls and garnish with pepper flakes and cilantro. Serve immediately.