Monday, April 9, 2012

Soba Noodle Soup with Smoked Trout and Spinach

Soba Noodle Soup with Spinach and Smoked Trout

Since my first few meals in Chicago were so meat-heavy (Longman & Eagle, Purple Pig, Courtney's meat-intense barbeque), I've been looking for lighter fare lately. I haven't quite scoped out the farmers market scene here yet, but I stocked up with what looked best at the ridiculously large Whole Foods nearby. I'm telling you, this Whole Foods is humongous. It has TWO bars, a DJ playing, a diner, and the biggest salad bar I have ever seen among other things. It is so funny to see people walking around grocery shopping with glasses of wine in their hands. This soup comes together quickly and is filling, but not heavy. As much as I poo poo mushrooms on this site, they really make an excellent broth and this simple broth has great umami flavor. Even though this recipe is so simple, it felt great to be back in the kitchen after weeks of eating out and I am looking forward to cooking up more recipes soon.

Soup ingredients
Just a few ingredients

Season the broth with soy sauce
Season the broth with soy sauce

Boil the noodles
Meanwhile cook the noodles

Toss the noodles with sesame oil
Toss the drained noodles with sesame oil

Noodles in the bowl
Divide the noodles amongst bowls

Steep the broth, spinach, trout, and onions
Steep the broth, spinach, trout, and onions

Soba Noodle Soup with Spinach and Smoked Trout
Serve with an egg if desired (I desired)


One year ago: Thin Mint Brownies
Two years ago: Lemon Scented Grain Salad with Asparagus, Almonds, and Feta
Three years ago: Bacon and Tomato Tart



Soba Noodle Soup with Smoked Trout and Spinach
(Adapted from The New York Times)

Makes 4 servings

*Note: the original recipe called for seasoning the broth with salt or soy sauce to taste. Since I cooked my noodles in salted water, I was very careful about how much to add, especially since you will have extra saltiness from the smoked trout

6 cups vegetable, chicken, or kombu stock
Soy sauce or salt to taste
6 ounces soba noodles
1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
6 ounces baby spinach
8 ounces smoked trout fillets, skinned and cut into 4 portions
3 green onions, thinly sliced
2 hardboiled eggs, cut in half (optional)

In a medium saucepan, bring the stock to a simmer. Season with soy sauce and/or salt to taste.

Meanwhile, bring a large pot full of water to a boil. Add salt to the water and add the soba noodles. Cook for 5 minutes or until the noodles are al dente. Drain the water and toss the noodles with the sesame oil. Divide the noodles amongst 4 bowls.

Add the spinach, trout, and most of the green onions to the stock. Let the mix sit for at least three minutes. Gently ladle the soup over the noodles. Garnish each bowl with the remaining green onions and serve with a hardboiled egg if desired.

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14 comments:

Allison [Girl's Guide to Social Media] said...

Ha! Grocery shopping, sipping wine, grabbing a salad... I love it. I think I'll move to Chicago!

The Food Librarian said...

Ahhhh. So yum!

Erica said...

That wfs sounds so fun! Great, lighter dish. I still havent tried soba noodles

marla said...

Over here we love soba too! Great recipe :)

susan said...

this is one of my all time favorite meals! i am going to whip this up very soon and add all of my kids favorites!

emily (a nutritionist eats) said...

Lincoln Park WF? I've spent 2 hours there each time I've been! By far my favorite Whole Foods.

Esi said...

Emily, that's the one! I love it. I've been spending a LOT of time there.

Elliott said...

I dig your step-by-step steez on this one...

Gastronomer said...

This looks mighty tasty, Esi!

And may I request an entire post devoted to your local Whole Foods? Walk me through the place, aisle by aisle, buffet by buffet...

Joanne said...

After eating out more than one day in a row, I ALWAYS need some lighter fare and soups are totally my go-to! THis one sounds pretty fabulous. As does that whole foods...I might ahve to move to chicago and make it my new sanctuary.

Banana Wonder said...

I love how you are showing the recipe steps here! You must have a larger apartment? Smoked trout is delicious and I didn't know you were hating on shrooms all this time... well not so much any more it turns out.

vanillasugarblog said...

smoked trout?
ok, i'm willing to try it.
we have a whole foods like that, its far away, but a good foodie road trip for me.

Kristina Vanni said...

Great recipe! I am always interested in new Soba ideas! Thanks for sharing!

Best Guided 7 Day Montana Elk Hunts Click Here said...

You have out done yourself on this noodle soup.....This is beautiful.