Soups, bisques and chowders don’t have to be partaken indoors. Lets think outside the square of your dining room table. Get out into the great outdoors and enjoy sipping your soup while staring at the water (watching for bait schools), gazing at the horizon (looking for bird activity) or doing all of the above sitting in your boat fishing. Even in the outdoors nobody wants soups that are cold and cloggy, especially creamy-style soups. The problem solved – simply pour the soup into a Thermos Stainless Steel Food and Drink vacuum flask and it will stay hot and delicious for hours.

These Thermos flasks have a wider neck that is absolutely fantastic for chunky soups and stews. The soup pours easily from the top with an extra cup included for sharing. The lid of the Thermos flask has the choice between narrow and wide mouthed stoppers which means the flask can be used for coffee and tea (narrow pourer) as well as soup and stews.

The Thermos Food and Drink vacuum flask has an unbreakable stainless steel interior and exterior. Very handy in the boat where you want a flask that can take unexpected knocks and come up smiling. What I especially like about these Food and Drink flasks is that after you have drunk every drop of your soup, they are very easy to clean. So let’s go fishing and enjoy the day with some piping hot soup in a Thermos.

500g mud crab meat

50g rice

Freshly ground salt and pepper

A generous pinch of paprika

1 small onion, finely diced

1 red capsicum, seeded and finely chopped

2 stalks celery, chopped

2 cups milk

2 cups cream

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons parsley, chopped

(1) Combine the rice, freshly ground salt and pepper, paprika, onion, capsicum and celery, milk and cream in a heavy based saucepan. Simmer over a medium heat, stirring very frequently to stop the rice from sticking to the pan for 12–15 minutes or until the rice softens.

(2) Gently fold the mud crab meat and the butter into the mixture in the saucepan. Fold the chopped parsley into the soup and serve.

1 cup fish or vegetable stock

1 small onion, finely chopped

1 tablespoon butter

3 tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3 cups milk

500g mud crab meat

(1) In a saucepan, melt the butter and add the onion. Cook the onion until it softens.

(2) Add the flour and pepper to the pan and blend well before gradually adding the stock and milk. Stir constantly as you add the liquids.

(3) Fold the crab meat into the milky mixture and heat through. Serve with a little chopped parsley if you like a touch of green freshness to your soup.

The seafood in these recipes was supplied by Princess Charlotte Seafoods – phone (07) 3256 9175. Princess Charlotte Seafoods are available from the Powerhouse Markets, the Rocklea Fresh Food Markets and the Blackwood Street Markets.