Pepper Pot is a hearty, slow-cooked soup or stew; it's also quite spicy, as it is generally made with habanero or scotch bonnet chiles. It's an important dish in Guyana and across the region, with Jamaica having a famous version. The version here comes from Chef Nina Compton of Compère Lapin on Tchoupitoulas in the Warehouse District. The soup is served with Escabeche Vegetables, Escabeche Fish, and Butternut Squash garnish.

The first section involves making lobster stock from scratch. But you can buy lobster stock online or at specialty seafood stores.

Serves 4-6

Lobster Stock

15 lobster bodies

3 onions, julienned
1 head of garlic, sliced in half
1 inch piece of ginger, chopped
2 pieces of lemongrass, smashed
8 star anise pods
¼ cup coriander seeds
½ cup Blended oil
8 quarts Water

Directions:

In a large stock pot, toast lobster bodies in blended oil and then add onions; sweat until lobster bodies are nicely toasted red, and onions are translucent.

Add spices and lemongrass; stir constantly for a few minutes.

Add 8 quarts of water, then cover and cook for 45 minutes.

Strain out the solids from the stock.

Pepper Pot Soup

4 quarts of butternut squash, diced
3 onions, julienned
1 piece of ginger, sliced thinly
2 habaneros, chopped
2 pieces of lemongrass, smashed
6 13.5 oz. cans of coconut milk
6 quarts of lobster stock * (recipe above)
Salt to season

Directions:

In a large pot, sweat the onions, ginger, habaneros and lemongrass.

Add the diced squash and continue sweating until soft.

Cover with lobster stock and then add coconut milk and simmer until vegetables are tender.

Remove lemongrass and puree until soup is smooth. If needed, warm up soup prior to serving.

Escabeche Vegetables

4 oranges
4 limes
4 lemons
1 head fennel, thinly sliced (reserve the fennel fronds for garnish)
2 shallots, thinly sliced
1/8 cup sherry vinegar
½ cup extra virgin olive oil

Juice all the fruit and strain to make sure there are no seeds (using the zest for fish).

Add sherry vinegar to citrus juice.

Place the olive oil in a pan and sauté vegetables on high heat, deglazing pan with vinegar and citrus juice mixture.

Escabeche Fish

4-6 oz. Grouper, sliced (approximately 1 -1 ½ oz. per person)

Marinate the fish for one hour in the citrus zest left over from the citrus juice (above) and enough olive oil to cover the fish.

Butternut Squash Garnish

4 oz. medium diced squash
2 tbs. olive oil
1 sprig of thyme
Salt and pepper to taste

Dice and season the butternut squash with salt, thyme and extra virgin olive.

Sauté seasoned squash on medium heat until golden brown; about 5 minutes. Cool and reserve.

To Plate:

In a hot pan with a bit of olive oil, sauté the marinated grouper.

To portion, take four to six (4-6) soup bowls and add approximately 1 oz. of grouper, 4 oz. of the escabeche vegetables and about eight pieces of diced squash to each.

Pour the warm Pepper Pot Soup into each bowl.

Garnish with butternut squash, fennel fronds, fresh basil, mint, and cilantro.