Genmaicha tea has quite the history. It is named after the faithful servant of a 15th century Samurai, who met his fate when a few grains of roasted rice fell into his master's tea. Ironically, the roasted rice ended up adding a savoury, nutty profile to the green tea that gave Genmaicha its unique flavour and popularity. It's this roasted and nutty character that adds an unexpected, complementary flair to this hearty seafood soup. (This recipe comes to us courtesy of the Tea and Herbal Association of Canada.)

How to Make Genmaicha Fish Soup

• 4 tsp loose or 4 teabags Organic Genmaicha tea
• 1 red onion, diced
• 2 sticks celery, finely chopped
• ½ bulb fennel, finely chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• Olive oil
• 1 cup dry white wine
• 4 medium chopped plum tomatoes
• 500 mL (16 oz) fish or vegetable stock
• 200 g (7 oz) salmon filet, skinned
• 300 g (10 oz) halibut filet, skinned
• 12 raw peeled shrimps
• ½ lemon
• 1 large handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped

Method:

• Steep tea in 400 mL (1 ¾ cup) water at 80˚ C or 175˚ F for five minutes. You want the Genmaicha tea to be nice and strong. Remove tea or teabags and set steeped tea aside.
• In a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pot heat 2 tsp olive oil. Add the onion, celery, fennel and garlic. Saute until softened.
• Add wine, tomatoes, steeped tea and fish or vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium/low, cover and simmer and 30 minutes. Gently break up tomatoes with a wooden spoon and season.
• Roughly chop the salmon and halibut and add to the pot. Add shrimp, cover and simmer for 10 minutes or just until cooked.
• Taste the soup and adjust seasoning with more salt or pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice.
• Serve drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with the chopped parsley.