Seafood Stew (Puerto Rican Caldo Santo)

puertorican-caldosanto Caldo Santo means Holy Broth in English. It gets its name for the time of year it is most often prepared and eaten during the holy season of Lent. Caldo Santo is a Puerto Rican stew that originated in the municipality of Loíza, Puerto Rico. Loíza, located on the northeastern coast of the island, is about 30 minutes from the capital of San Juan. The town has a high population of Afro-Latinos because Yoruban (Nigerian) enslaved peoples were the first to settle there. Since Loíza sits right on the water and has access to local fish and shellfish, it makes sense that this amazing dish comes from there. Even more so when you consider the tubers or viandas also added to the soup, most of which the formerly enslaved inhabitants were used to cooking back in their homelands. Puerto Ricans serve Caldo Santo during the Lenten season, which begins after Ash Wednesday and culminates on Easter. Lent commemorates the 40 day fast of Jesus in the wilderness. As a result, most Christian denominations abstain from one or more things. Usually, meat is avoided during the Lenten season, especially on Fridays. In place of meat, most observant Christians consume only fish or seafood on Fridays during Lent. Hence the reason caldo santo is a popular soup to eat during this reflective, somber season.

1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil or achiote oil (15 mL)
1 medium (1½ cups) white onion, peeled and thinly sliced (200 g)
⅓ cup sofrito (85 g)
5 cloves (2 Tbsp.) garlic, peeled and minced
1½" piece (1 Tbsp.) ginger, peeled and minced
4 cups fish stock (1 L)
3 cups coconut milk (750 mL)
¼ cup manzanilla olives (about 12)
1 Tbsp. capers
2 large bay leaves
1 Tbsp. adobo
1½ tsp. (1 pkg) sazón con achiote y culantro
½ tsp. black pepper, freshly ground
¼ tsp. ground allspice
½ lb yuca (cassava), peeled and cut into ½" cubes (455 g)
½ lb batata (boniato), peeled and cut into ½" cubes (455 g)
½ lb calabaza (Kabocha squash), peeled and cut into ½" cubes (455 g)
2 large green plantains
1 lb jumbo shrimp, peeled and deveined (460 g)
1 lb bacalao (salted cod), desalinated and cut into 1" chunks (460 g)
1 lb red snapper, cut into 1" chunks (460 g)
½ lb lump crab meat (225 g)

Optional Garnishes:
sliced avocado
lime wedges

Begin the Caldo Santo:
It in an 8 qt (or larger) Dutch oven or caldero, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat.

Once the oil shimmers in the pot, add the sliced onion, sofrito, garlic, and ginger to the oil.

Sauté these until glossy and opaque, or for 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.

Once the aromatics are glossy, pour in the fish stock and the coconut milk.

Stir the liquids into the aromatics, then add the olives, capers, bay leaves, adobo, sazón, black pepper, and allspice to the pot.

Allow the liquid to come up to a boil.

Once the liquid in the pot starts to boil, stir in the chunks of yuca, batata, and calabaza. Bring the liquid back up to a boil.

Once the liquid boils, reduce the temperature to medium and cover the pot. Gently simmer the viandas like this for 10 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes.

Peel and Grate the Platanos:
While waiting for the viandas to soften, peel the platanos.

Cut the ends of the platanos off and make a slit down the back and front with the tip of your knife.

Next, use the fleshy part of your thumb to press up on the peel to separate the peel from the platano. Continue pushing the peel up and away until the platano is peeled.

Use the next to smallest grater holes to finely grate the platanos into a mixing bowl.

Activate the platanos sticky quality by using your hand to stir the grated platano a bit in the bowl.

Use a Tbsp. measuring spoon or a #70 portion scoop to form 14-15 balls of platano.

After you scoop the balls, roll each one between the palms of your hands to form them into round balls.

If they don't stick together, you can add a small amount (1 Tbsp.) of flour to help them along.

Set the balls aside on a plate or platter while you wait for the viandas to finish their 10-minute simmer.

Finish the Caldo Santo:
Add the platano balls to the pot and use your spoon to push them under the surface of the caldo santo.

Cover the pot and cook the platano balls in the soup for 5 minutes.

After 5 minutes, dump all seafood except for the crab meat into the pot. Stir it in and cover the pot once again.

Cook the caldo santo for 10 minutes or until the seafood is cooked all the way through.

Turn off the stove and immediately stir the crab meat into the cooked caldo santo. Avoid stirring the soup too much as this will cause the crab meat to break apart.

Ladle the caldo santo into individual serving bowls to serve it.

Serve the caldo santo with slices of toasted and buttered Pan Sobao, ripe avocado slices and lime wedge for squeezing into the soup just before eating.

Makes 8 servings.

Swaps and Substitutions:

Replace the fresh coconut milk with canned coconut milk.
Vianda swaps: butternut squash or acorn squash, malanga coco (yautía, big taro or cocoyam),ñame (yam), Russet or Yukon Gold potatoes, guineos verdes (green cooking bananas).
If you don't want to use salted codfish, you can replace it with fresh cod, but you will need to add more adobo to the soup. More bacalao swaps: salted pollock, haddock, or flounder.
Red snapper substitutes include grouper, sea bass, or orange roughy.
Replace the shrimp with scallops, crawfish, or langostino.
You can replace lump crab meat with chunks of lobster, more shrimp, or tenderized octopus.

Tips and Techniques:

Use bright green, firm plantains for this recipe. Yellow plantains will be too sweet in this dish.
You can omit the platano balls if you don't want to add them or just peel and cut the plantains into ½" thick slices. Add sliced plantains with the other viandas.
You can also make the bolitas out of guineos verdes instead of platanos. Peel, grate, scoop and form them the same way you did the platanos.
Seafood shouldn't cook too long, or it will toughen.
Pkgd crab meat is pre-cooked, so it's safe to add to the soup after cooking.

Make-Ahead Instructions:

For the Platano Balls: Grate and form the platanos as instructed. Lay the platano balls onto a greased sheet pan or a sheet pan lined with a silicone baking mat. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the platano balls and freeze until solid. Remove the platano balls from the sheet pan once frozen and transfer them to a food storage bag. Freeze the platano balls for up to 6 months. To use them, just toss them into whatever you want. Make sure to boil the plantain balls for at least 10 minutes to ensure they're cooked throughout.

Storage Instructions:

Store leftover caldo santo in the fridge for up to 3 days. You can reheat the portions you plan to serve and eat in the microwave or on the stovetop until warmed through.
Discard any remaining soup after 3 days.
Freeze caldo santo for up to 2 months:
Transfer the cooled soup to a freezer-safe container and freeze it.
Thaw the frozen caldo santo in the fridge overnight and reheat as instructed above.