Fresh ginger brightens a light soup

Here you have a tradeoff that comes with time-saving shortcuts: The broth of this clean-tasting slurp of a light dinner soup lacks deep flavor, yet it is brightened by a few minutes’ infusion of fresh ginger and dashes of fish sauce and sesame oil.

You might find that cooking shrimp this way is beneficial when you make shrimp salad or want to cook shrimp for frittata or quick tacos. Remember to freeze the shells (for a great homemade seafood stock) in heavy-duty plastic bags.

If you start with raw shrimp that’s already peeled and deveined, you’ll have more time to concentrate on making dessert.

Serve with a simple salad of sliced avocado dressed with lemon vinaigrette and toasted panko bread crumbs.