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Ever since I was an Assistant Editor at Cuisine at Home magazine I’ve loved developing soup recipes. One of our special publications (or SIB as the industry calls them—Special Interest Book) was a soup book. We’d publish a new one every year, which meant it was an all-hands-on-deck situation to get the 100-recipe book to the printers.
I’ve worked on all kinds of soup recipes over the years, but developing fish and seafood soups is one of my favorites because it’s such a challenge. There’s this dance of when to add the fish or seafood so they cook perfectly and don’t get over-cooked.
There are a lot of aromatics in this soup (don’t let the ingredient list intimidate you) but the process is simple and the soup comes together quickly. It’s elegant and achievable, my favorite kind of cooking!
What is Seafood Soup?
Seafood soup is a brothy, chunky soup composed of many different types of fish and seafood and a very aromatic broth. Leeks and fennel are the only vegetables I add, but you will often find seafood soups that have potatoes added as well.
Seafood Soup Ingredients
Vegetables
Fennel (both the bulb and the fronds), onion, leeks and celery are the veggie-base for this soup. Be sure to clean the leeks very well before cooking with them.
Aromatics
Garlic, red pepper flakes, thyme, oregano, bay leaves and parsley are the flavor enhancers. We prefer to use fresh herbs, but we offer measurements for dried herbs as well.
Broth
Dry white wine (such as Sauvignon blanc or Pinto Grigio), clam juice, seafood stock and lemon juice make up the flavorful broth. You can find clam juice near the canned fish. Find seafood stock in the broth and stock section, or next to the canned fish. Or be an overachiever and make your own using shrimp shells.)
Fish & Seafood
We’re using a combination of firm white fish (such as cod, haddock, halibut, red snapper, or sea bass), mussels or clams, scallops and shrimp. For the shrimp, we recommend using medium (41/50 count) or medium-large (36/40 count).
If you’re a clam-lover, be sure to check out our Clam Pasta! And if you love mussels, then you’ve gotta try this Mussels Recipe!
Watch: How to Make Seafood Soup
How to Make Seafood Soup Recipe
- The first step is to slice and thoroughly clean the leeks. To clean them, submerge the sliced leeks in cold water and shimmy them around to release any dirt or sand. I like to use my salad spinner for this since you can easily lift the leeks out of the water, discard the water, and spin them dry.
- Cook the leeks, sliced fennel bulb, onion and celery in a bit of butter in a large dutch oven until they start to soften. Stir in the garlic and herbs and cook them just briefly.
- Deglaze the pot with wine and be sure to scrape up any browned bits (the flavor!) then add in the broth, water, clam juice and bay leaves. Bring the soup to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes to deepen the flavors.
- Add the shrimp and mussels to the soup then arrange the fish and scallops on top of the soup—this gently cooks the fish so it comes out tender, not overcooked.
- Cover the pot and reduce the heat so the soup just barely simmers. The soup is done when the mussels open and the fish, scallops and shrimp are all firm and opaque, this will take just 5 minutes!
- Finish the soup with chopped fennel fronds, fresh parsley, a splash of fresh lemon juice and some butter (for luxuriousness!).
- Serve immediately with a drizzle of olive oil. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Seafood soup should not be frozen.
Test Kitchen Tips
- If you have quite a bit of the soup leftover, I recommend only reheating what you’re going to eat. The more times you reheat the soup, the more over-cooked the fish and seafood will become. Reheat seafood soup on the stove top over medium—bring to a low simmer then remove from heat and serve. Avoid bringing to a boil as this will over-cook the fish and seafood.
- I suggest pairing this seafood soup with crispy white wines such as: Voigner, Pinot Gris or Assyrtiko.
What to Serve with Seafood Soup
Fill out the menu with any of these stellar side dish recipes.
- Our Simple Fennel Salad pairs wonderfully with any kind of seafood, but especially this soup. Plus, it only requires 3 ingredients!
- Whip up a batch of our Milk Bread Rolls a day in advance. The fluffy rolls are a great way to soak up the seafood broth.
- Our simple yet versatile Savory Citrus Salad brings sweet, savory flavors as a side dish.
How to Store Seafood Soup
Store seafood soup in a glass airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. I do not recommend freezing it.
Reheat portions in a saucepan over medium-low heat just until warmed through.
Brothy Mixed Seafood Soup Recipe
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Ingredients
- 1 leek, white and light green parts only
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter or extra-virgin olive oil + more for serving
- 1 fennel bulb, trimmed, halved and thinly sliced, fronds reserved
- 1 small white onion, chopped (1 cup)
- 2 large celery ribs, diced (¾ cup)
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh oregano, or 1 ½ teaspoons dried
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme, or 1 ½ teaspoons dried
- ½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
- 1 cup dry white wine, such as Sauvignon blanc
- 4 cups low-sodium seafood stock or chicken broth
- 8 ounces bottled clam juice
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 1 pound firm white fish,* cut into 1-inch chunks
- 1 pound medium (41-50 count) raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 pound scallops, feet removed
- 1 pound mussels or clams
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
- croutons, for serving
Instructions
- Halve leek lengthwise and cut into ¼-inch-thick slices; transfer to a large bowl and cover with cold water. Shimmy leek slices around in water; let rest 10 minutes. Using a slotted spoon or spider (or hands) strain leeks from water, being careful not to kick up dirt at bottom of bowl.
- Heat butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat.
- Add leek, fennel, onion, and celery; season with ½ teaspoon each salt and pepper and cook, stirring frequently, until softened, 8–10 minutes.
- Stir in garlic, oregano, thyme, and red pepper flakes and cook 1 minute.
- Deglaze with wine, scraping up any browned bits. Stir in broth, 4 cups water, clam juice and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer and cook 10 minutes.
- Season white fish with salt and pepper.
- Stir in shrimp and mussels, then arrange fish and scallops on top of stew, cover, reduce heat to medium-low (if your stove runs hot, reduce the heat to low), and simmer until mussels open and fish, scallops and shrimp are firm and opaque, about 5 minutes.
- Discard bay leaves and stir in parsley, 2 tablespoons chopped fennel fronds, and lemon juice; season with salt to taste (at least 1 teaspoon, I add 1 ½ teaspoons)
- Off heat, stir in a tablespoon of butter or drizzle servings with olive oil (optional).
- Serve immediately. Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Seafood soup should not be frozen.
Notes
Nutrition
I made this recipe for my parents when they came to visit and it was such a hit! It made my apartment smell so good! We all were soaking up our bowls with bread. A new favorite for me (especially when I have guests).
A low effort tasty soup with freshness and aromatics of herbs , lemon, and veggies- have made with cod, haddock even left over salmon went swimming – shrimp, scallops and fresh dug clams and mussels – prefer the mussels save the clams for stuffers- the broth is so tasty with a hint of heat definitely want to slurp it up with a crusty bread! It’s one of my go to soups on weight watchers! Love the lite broth soup as opposed to higher calorie chowda versions- thank you and give me more of “the lighter side” ❤️It!
So delicious! Loved the flavors of this soup. I used clams, cod, shrimp, and scallops. Can’t wait to make it again and try the variations!
I have made this Seafood Soup a few times and thought I would take a minute to tell you how much we LOVE it! I found the recipe last December and it has been on repeat ever since. When we get a seafood craving we know exactly what we are having. Thank you for this amazing recipe.
Hi there .I would use garlic infused oil for the croutons.
Could you increase your nutritional information to include more nutrients? I am on a low potassium diet but no information is available.