Fish Soup is an easy comforting soup recipe that you can make in just 30 minutes with cod, potatoes, peas, leeks, and creamy seafood broth.
This delicious Soup Recipe makes an easy weeknight meal perfect for when you want something flavorful and cozy. Similar to a bowl of Clam Chowder, this rustic Fish Soup is the perfect way to warm up on a chilly night.
Table of contents
About our Fish Soup Recipe
Whether you’re a big fan of seafood or not, this simple Fish Soup is definitely worth adding to your recipe rotation. Cod doesn’t have a very overwhelming flavor, and when it’s paired it with classic soup ingredients like potatoes, leeks, and carrots it has the same familiar flavors of your favorite cozy chowder recipes. Make it even cozier by serving with some Crusty Bread Rolls or in a big bread bowl.
There are so many reasons to love this simple soup recipe. Each bowl of fish soup is hearty, comforting, and absolutely delicious. The soup itself is made with simple ingredients, plus it has an amazing seafood broth. Finally not only does it taste fantastic, it’s a way to incorporate seafood every once in a while for a different kind of lean protein that won’t break the bank.
Fish Soup Ingredients
- Veggies: This seafood soup is made with a delicious combination of fish and vegetables. Yellow onion, leeks, carrots, and peas all add important texture and flavor to the soup recipe. They also make the simple dish more colorful and beautiful.
- Potatoes: Along with the other vegetables, peeled and diced russet potatoes are a great filling ingredient that makes the Fish Soup ultra comforting.
- Broth: For the cooking liquid, combine 2 cups of fish stock with 8 ounces of clam juice. If you’re new to cooking seafood, you might hesitate to add the clam juice. Often people worry it will make a “fishy flavor,” but it actually has a mild taste that helps bring out the other natural flavors in the recipe.
- Cod: For the fish, we used 2 pounds of cod. As far as white fish goes, cod is a delicate fish with a somewhat sweet and mild flavor. Cut the cod into bite-size pieces to fill the soup with a good amount of delicious chunks of fish.
- Heavy Cream: The soup is finished with ½ cup of heavy cream to add a rich, creamy element that is still pretty light. It gives the soup a light chowder texture and brings all the wonderful flavors together.
Kitchen Tools & Equipment
- Heavy Pot: Every kitchen should have a good quality, heavy bottomed pot that is big enough to make delicious soups! You want a heavy bottom pot, like a dutch oven, so you can saute the aromatic veggies, and sometimes meat depending on the recipe, to build extra flavor in the same pot you cook in. Having a pot that can go from stove-top to oven is great for stew, pot roasts, and other flavorful cozy dishes.
How to Make Fish Soup
Time needed: 30 minutes.
- Cook the Veggies
Add butter to a large heavy-bottomed pot and set the heat on medium. Once the butter melts, add the diced onion, leeks, garlic cloves, celery, carrots, and potatoes. Then stir the vegetables and cook over medium heat until the onions are translucent. Season the vegetables with kosher salt, thyme, and black pepper, then stir again.
- Let the Broth Simmer
Add the fish stock and clam juice. Cover the pot and bring it to a simmer for 15-18 minutes, or until the potatoes are tender. Then add the sliced fish fillet, peas, and parsley. Simmer the Fish Soup for another 5 minutes.
- Finish with Cream
Add heavy cream, and stir it into the broth. Continue to cook for 1 minute to heat the cream. Then garnish with fresh parsley if desired, and serve.
Nutritional Facts
Cooking Fish Soup Tips & Tricks
Handy tips for the best Fish Soup ever!
- Remember that Fish Cooks Quickly
- Seafood like cod cooks very quickly so you don’t want to add the fish until the very final few minutes. Since it is a lightly flavored fish, it will pick up the soup flavors quickly.
- Take Time to Build Flavor
- While you don’t need to spend lots of time cooking the fish, you do want to take the time to build flavor by sauteing the aromatic veggies and seasonings first. The butter brings out the sweetness in the veggies and the natural juices get caramelized for an awesome depth of flavor.
What to Pair With Fish Soup
Wine: White fish like cod goes really well with a crisp, light white wine. Serve your soup with a nice Pinot Grigio or Albarino. You could also pair it with a light lager or pilsner if you prefer beer.
Bread: Just like with any soup recipe, this soup goes perfectly with crusty bread like French or Italian bread for dipping. It would also taste great with Soft Bread Rolls. You can top the soup off with oyster crackers for a bit of crunch too.
How to Store Fish Soup
Store: After cooking, you shouldn’t leave Fish Soup at room temperature for more than 2 hours. Let the soup cool, then transfer any leftovers to an airtight container. It should stay good in the refrigerator for 3-4 days.
Reheat: Reheat the soup on the stove top slowly over medium heat. Gently stir occasionally to get rid of any separation that may have occurred.
Freeze: You can also freeze the soup for up to 4 months. Let the soup cool completely before storing and leave a little room for the broth to expand as it freezes. Let it thaw overnight before reheating.
Alternative Fish Soup Cooking Techniques
Slow Cooker Fish Soup
You can cook the veggies, except the peas, in butter until they are just softened then transfer them to a slow cooker. Add the potatoes, seasonings, fish stock, and clam juice to the slow cooker. Cover with the lid and cook on low for 4-6 hours or high for 2-3 hours, until the potatoes are tender. Stir in the fish, peas, and parsley and cover. Cook on high for another 15 minutes or until the fish is cooked. Finally, add in the cream and stir gently. Garnish with parsley and serve.
FAQ for Fish Soup
If you don’t have fresh fish available, you can use frozen fish in this recipe. Let the frozen cod thaw in the fridge overnight, or add it to the soup and let it thaw and cook from frozen.
This simple Fish Soup recipe is actually pretty healthy versus heavier, creamier seafood chowders. There’s just a little bit of cream and it’s loaded with vegetables. Adding cod to your diet is also an easy way to get lean protein. Seafood contains a lot of important nutrients like vitamin B12 and omega-3, so this soup is great to incorporate into a well-balanced, healthy diet.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 yellow onion , diced
- 1 leek , trimmed and diced
- 3 cloves garlic , minced
- 1 carrot , diced
- 4 russet potatoes , peeled and diced
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- 2 cups fish stock , we like Better than Bouillon
- 8 ounces clam juice
- 2 pounds cod , cut into 2" chunks
- 1 cup frozen green peas
- 1/4 cup parsley , chopped
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
Instructions
- To a large heavy bottomed pot add the butter on medium heat.
- Add in onion, leeks, garlic, celery and carrots and stir.
- Cook for 4-5 minutes or until onions are translucent.
- Add in salt, thyme and black pepper and stir well.
- Add fish stock and clam juice.
- Cover and bring to a simmer for 15-18 minutes until potatoes are tender.
- Add in cod, peas and parsley and simmer for 5 minutes until fish is cooked through.
- Add in heavy cream, stir well and cook for 1 minute before serving.
- Garnish with additional parsley if desired.
Nutrition
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Fish Soup Variations
Broth: If you don’t have fish broth, there is no need to worry. You can make this recipe with chicken broth or vegetable broth. Adding in the clam juice will still give the cooking liquid plenty of authentic seafood flavor.
Types of Fish: We’ve made this Fish Soup with cod, but you can also try it with another choice of fish. Flounder, halibut, and tilapia are other good lean fish options. You can also add shrimp or scallops for more variety in the seafood dish.
Seasonings: To experiment with the flavor, you can add seasonings like Italian parsley, paprika, rosemary, or dill to the soup. You could also add green onions or a splash of lemon juice for a fresh take on the dish.
Vegetables: Feel free to add different veggies like diced green bell pepper, white onion, zucchini, or mushroom. Vegetables are an easy way to add more color, texture, and variety to your soup recipes.
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