This hearty fish soup is packed with flavor. An easy seafood stew recipe that can be ready and on your dinner table in about 30 minutes. The soup is filled with cod fillets, shrimp, and mixed vegetables in a rich tomato broth.
This fish soup is a simpler alternative to my favorite Italian-American fish stew dish, Cioppino. It's so easy and quick to make, yet extremely flavorful!
This super easy seafood soup is made from scratch using simple ingredients that many people can find at their local grocers or pantry.
Fish Soup Ingredients:
This seafood soup is made by combining seafood with vegetables in a rich tomato broth. Feel free to customize the ingredients to your own liking and based on availability.
- Fish
- Shrimp or shellfish
- Yellow onion
- Carrots
- Celery
- Garlic
- Parsley
- Dry white wine. You can use either Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, and unoaked Chardonnay.
- Crushed tomatoes
- Claim juice or homemade seafood stock
- Thyme
Fish: I used cod fillets, but any white fish such as halibut, sea bass, or red snapper would also be fine.
Shellfish: In this recipe I used shrimp. Crab, lobster, clams, scallops, or mussels are great alternatives to shrimp.
A Delicious Fish Soup Base:
The seafood stew recipe begins with the basic ingredients used in making a stock; carrots, celery, yellow onion, parsley, and garlic.
I let everything simmer along with the other soup ingredients; crushed tomatoes, water, clam juice, white wine, thyme, and saffron.
Now, let's talk about saffron and clam juice. These ingredients are optional but definitely make for the "secret ingredients". They can add depth and flavor to this and other fish and seafood recipes.
If you don't have saffron in your pantry, feel free to skip it. Saffron has a very subtle flavor and aroma. It's one of the most important ingredients for dishes like paella and bouillabaisse but isn't a make-or-break ingredient in this particular recipe. That said, I liked the extra hints of flavor it did bring.
Clam Juice is usually made from the liquid used to steam fresh clams when strained and mixed with salt. It's a must-have pantry staple. You can use it to flavor various sauces, seafood dishes, or in soup bases.
In this recipe, I used Bumble Bee Snow's Clam Juice. If you don't have this product in your pantry then feel free to skip it or make your own seafood stock from shrimp shells. I am going to show you how to make it on the recipe card below.
Crushed Tomatoes are made from fresh tomatoes that are peeled, seeded and crushed then mixed with tomato puree to create a coarser texture than tomato sauce, but smoother than diced tomatoes.
How to Make Fish Soup:
1. Cook the basic ingredients for the soup base for about 10 minutes.
2. Add white wine and cook just until it evaporates.
3. Add the remaining soup ingredients and let them simmer for about 10 minutes.
4. Add the fish and shrimp. The cooking process should take about 3 minutes... so quick!
Check Out More Delicious Recipes:
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a rating and a comment below! I'd appreciate it.
📖 Recipe
Fish Soup
Ingredients
- 1.5 pounds white fish (such as cod, halibut, red snapper, or sea bass), cut into 2-inch pieces
- 15 pieces of medium-size shrimp
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup diced yellow onion
- ½ cup diced carrots
- ½ cup diced celery
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- ½ cup lightly packed chopped parsley
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 14 oz crushed tomatoes (unsalted and unseasoned)
- 2 cups water
- 8 oz clam juice *or homemade seafood stock, see notes below*
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon salt (add more according to your liking)
- (optional) ¼ teaspoon crumbled saffron threads (soaked in a small amount of hot water for 5 minutes)
Method
- In a large pot, heat the oil over moderate heat. Saute the onion, celery, and carrots for about 8 minutes.
- Add the garlic, and keep stirring for about 1 minute.
- Add the parsley, and keep stirring for about 2 minutes.
- Add the white wine into the pot; cook until it almost evaporates.
- Stir in clam juice, water, crushed tomatoes, saffron, and thyme. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered for 10 minutes or until the soup reaches your desired consistency and taste. Adjust seasoning if needed.
- Add fish, then shrimp, and cook for about 3 minutes or until fully cooked.
- Remove from the heat. Serve with hot sauce and enjoy!
Les says
My ONLY problem with this terrific recipe is the blandness of cod. I tried using flounder, and I tried pollack, but they didn’t make a significant difference. The stew tasted best served immediately. It did not gain flavor after refrigeration, and I wonder if another kind of fish could make the difference. Again, I am a big fan of this stew. I wouldn’t be asking otherwise.
Rika says
Hi Les,
Thanks so much for the thoughtful feedback—and I totally get what you mean about the cod. It’s definitely a milder fish, so if you're looking for a deeper flavor, something like halibut, sea bass, or even salmon might give the stew more richness. I’m really glad to hear you're a fan of the recipe overall, and I appreciate you experimenting with it. Let me know if you try it again with a different fish—I’d love to hear how it turns out!
Jan says
I know I am replying to a very old post. But in hopes of helping others who may read this:
A tip to get more flavor into and from mild flavored fish and shrimp is to pat it very dry then lightly salt and pepper it. I do this up to an hour before adding it to the recipe and keep in the fridge. Take it out of the fridge 10 mins prior to adding to the recipe. This process allows more flavor from the broth to penetrate the fish. 🙂
Rika says
Hi Jan,
I really appreciate you taking the time to share this, especially on an older post. That’s a great tip!
Best,
Rika
Araceli Daub says
I added potatoes so good
Rika says
Love that you added potatoes. So glad you liked it, Araceli!