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)
Instructions
- 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!
Jen says
I’ve never had fish soup but that sounds delicious! I love seafood so I’d probably like this.
Rog Willis says
I have always wanted to try a fish soup! This sounds so delicious and easy to make!
Amber Myers says
This is perfect for those who love seafood! I wish I did because this looks delicious.
Tasheena says
This soup looks really flavorful. Looking forward to making this.
Robin Rue says
I have never had fish soup before. It sounds like a tasty meal idea.
TaraMetBlog says
I've never tried making fish soup so thank you for the recipe! Looks very yummy!
Liz says
Omg, these photos are unbelievable! I have to try this before quarantine is over.
Bohemian Babushka says
That sounds and looks divino! Bet it's delicious too. Hoping BB can make it taste 1/2 as good as yours seems to be. But of course, this got pinned.
Chef Dennis says
This hearty fish soup looks really scrumptious! I can't wait to have a bowl of this. My wife will surely be delighted to taste this, too!
Paula Schuck says
Oh my gosh those pictures! This soup looks amazing and so fresh! I’d love to make this. Pinning it immediately.