Have you ever made a seafood soup? If you haven’t now is the perfect time to give it a try. I always like to remind people that recipes are guidelines, if you don’t have everything on hand or you don’t like an ingredient, replace them.
It’s really that easy, and if you enjoy eating what you’ve created in your kitchen, you’re going to enjoy spending more time cooking.
We love seafood at our house, and sometimes, we end up with odds and ends from our meals. Some are cooked, and some are raw. The best way to use these leftovers and unused portions is to make seafood soup or stew.
At one time soups were always made from leftovers. It’s the easiest way to use up the ingredients that have been hanging out a little too long in your fridge, freezer, and pantry instead of throwing them out as too many people do.
You work hard for your money, so use all the food you buy and create delicious dishes that your family will love!
If you enjoyed this soup, you’ll also love my San Francisco Cioppino Recipe.
What do I need to make seafood soup?
Let’s gather the ingredients to make our seafood soup recipe. In Chef Speak this is called the Mise en Place which translates into everything in its place.
You’ll see in my bowl of seafood the different ingredients that I had on hand. If you don’t have any seafood leftovers to start with, use new ingredients you enjoy the most or happen to be on sale at your local grocer.
As I do with meats, I save all the scraps of trim that look too good to throw out and save them in the freezer till needed. This goes for leftovers of cooked seafood from dinner at home or the doggy bags we bring home from a night out.
Don’t throw out those expensive leftovers, freeze them to make soup.
*Chef Dennis Tip
Save shrimp shells and scraps of fish you can’t eat to make a seafood stock out of for your favorite fish soup, or chowder.
What kind of fish can I use in seafood soup?
Any type of fish that you enjoy eating will work in soup. Cut the fish into small pieces if it’s not flaky. Fish like cod will pretty much just break up into flakes as the soup cooks, so you don’t have to worry about making it too small. Otherwise, think in terms of bite-size pieces.
Do I have to use shellfish in seafood soup?
No, you don’t. If you’re allergic to shellfish or simply don’t like certain shellfish, leave them out. Use ingredients you enjoy eating.
Let’s get started making our seafood soup. In a large pot over medium-high heat, add the olive oil, celery, onions, and carrots. Saute for 3-4 minutes then add the rest of the vegetables except for the tomatoes. Continue to cook the veggies over medium heat for 5 – 10 minutes.
I use my favorite 6 qt. Copper Core 5-ply All-Clad pot for this soup. It’s classified as a roaster and is a great pan for use in your kitchen! It’s the perfect soup pot and so much more.
Should I cook the vegetables before adding the water to the soup?
Letting the vegetables cook before adding water to the pot goes a long way in improving the flavor of the soup. As the vegetables cook, the water steams off, and the vegetables’ natural sugars start to break down.
This process improves the vegetables’ natural flavor while adding a distinct nuttiness to the flavor profile. If you can let the veggies cook over low for 15-20 minutes, it will improve the overall flavor of the soup.
Boiling the vegetables cannot accomplish this, so it’s important to let them cook before adding the water.
After the vegetables have been cooked, add the stock, tomatoes and seasonings to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and let the soup simmer for 30 minutes.
*Chef Dennis Tip
I have found that using chicken stock instead of fish stock gives seafood soups a more palatable flavor. Seafood stocks tend to have a softer taste and a more pronounced seafood flavor. Chicken stock adds a sharper flavor while balancing the overall seafood taste, making it milder allowing the seafood to stand out more than just blend in.
Add the seafood to the soup pot and continue to simmer for 30 minutes to an hour. Season to taste with sea salt and black pepper.
Can I add white wine to my seafood soup?
You sure can. Adding a little of your favorite white wine will help enrich the flavor. If you’d like to change up the seasonings to a Thai flavor, think about using coconut milk, lemongrass, and your favorite Thai spices instead of old bay and thyme.
Garnish soup with chopped parsley and serve with your favorite crusty bread.
Recipe FAQ’s
Seafood soups can be broth-based like my seafood soup and sometimes contain tomatoes.
Chowders are traditionally made with milk or cream, butter, potatoes, salt pork (bacon), onions, celery and sometimes carrots.
Seafood Stews are chunky soups with less liquid that can be cream-based or broth-based.
Besides being a delicious and good use of leftover seafood, fish contain many essential nutrients, such as omega-3 fatty acids and high-quality proteins.
Fish Bone Broth is the king of bone broths. It’s rich in iodine, and collagen which supports good gut health.
More Soup Recipes You’ll Love!
Seafood Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds fish assorted
- 2 tablespoon olive oil more or less as needed to saute vegetables
- 1 cup celery diced
- 1 cup onions diced
- 1 cup carrots diced
- 2 cup potatoes diced
- 1 cup zucchini diced
- 1 cup corn kernels
- 2 cups plum tomatoes or crushed tomatoes
- 2 quarts chicken stock
- 1 tablespoon old bay
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme fine chop
- 1 tablespoon Italian parsley – chopped garnish
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium-high heat add the olive oil, celery, onions and carrots. Saute for 3-4 minutes then add the rest of the vegetables except for the tomatoes. Continue to cook the veggies over medium heat for 5 – 10 minutes. Reduce the heat to low and let the veggies cook for 10-15 more.
- After the vegetables have cooked, add the stock, tomatoes and seasonings to the pot. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to low and let the soup simmer for 30 minutes.
- Add the seafood to the pot and continue to simmer for 30 minutes to an hour. Reseason to taste with sea salt and black pepper if needed.
- Garnish soup with chopped parsley and serve with your favorite crusty bread.
Nick Brown
followed the recipe, definitely great taste but the broth could have been a bit thicker. Maybe cut down a bit on the amount of chicken stock. Otherwise great tasty soup
Chef Dennis Littley
You can always add less stock if you want more of a stew like consistency.
Carol
I just made this recipe but cut it in half. I live in North Texas so we don’t have access to fresh seafood. I used a frozen bag of miscellaneous seafood from the grocery store and it is really tasty. Does this soup store and reheat alright?
Chef Dennis Littley
Happy to hear you enjoyed the soup and yes it can be stored in a well sealed container for 2-3 days and reheats nicely.
Mary Ann
I am making this delicious soup for the third time. I am thrilled to have found this recipe! Everyone that I have shared with loves it just as much as I do. Thank you so much Chef Dennis, for sharing this delicious recipe!
Deb
This has become my families favorite Christmas Eve dish.
It is perfect!
Carrie Feinstein
Can I use fish stock instead of chicken stock?
Chef Dennis Littley
Yes you can.
Scott
Made this last night and followed it as written and it was outstanding. Everyone loved it. Ironically my daughter said “this is restaurant quality soup” just like the title indicates. I used flounder, salmon, shrimp and scallops. Will be making this again soon. Thank you for a great recipe.
Chef Dennis Littley
Happy to hear you enjoyed the soup, Scott. This soup was always a big hit in my restaurant days.
Debbie
Hi chef Dennis can your seafood soup be made in a soup maker appliance by halving the ingredients.
Chef Dennis Littley
The recipe can easily be cut in half, but I’ve never used a soup maker, so I can’t advise you on how to adjust the recipe to make it in that appliance.
Alisa
Excellent! Very easy to make! Thank you.
Mary
This is one of the best soup bases I have ever made. After adding the fish/shrimp/scallops I thought I was in a five star restaurant. Thank you Chef Dennis.
Beth
I looked at so many recipes and just kept coming back to this one and I’m so glad I did!! I followed your recipe to a tee with a few exceptions, I used 1 can Hunts Diced Basil, Garlic & Oregano tomatoes, 1 3/4 cups chicken broth, 1/4 cup white wine, I do love seasoning, so while sautéing the veggies, added Everglades Seasoning, very popular hear in South FL, garlic & Onion powder and a few shakes of red pepper flakes like you suggested to another person to add some heat. Put the cod in the last 30 minutes and added shrimp and scallops the last 10 minutes, served with crusty bread and wine, we absolutely were blown away, this was so amazing, 5 stars from my husband and I, will definitely be on our menu from now on. I will be following you for more recipes. Thank you for sharing this one and your knowledge of cooking
Chef Dennis Littley
I’m happy to hear you made my soup and made adjustments according to your taste preference; that’s what cooking is all about! I hope you find more recipes on my website to enjoy.
Jill
This is so good! I’ve been looking for something with just this flavor! I used half German thyme and half lemon thyme from my garden. Gave it a nice bright flavor. I will definitely make this again! Love it!
Graham Brown
Hi, just made this, it turned out very good. Just 2 comments, it does not explicitly say when to add the thyme and does not show in the ingredients. Me, being stupid, thought I added the thyme as a garnish at the end.
Graham
Chef Dennis Littley
Hi Graham
Sorry for the misunderstanding, the thyme isn’t listed separately but it does say to add all seasonings in the post and in the directions. Actually adding it as a garnish isn’t stupid at all. It can still be stirred in and add flavor to the soup.
Jim
Just made this great recipe,
Easy , perfect for a frozen Nova Scotia evening.Added add 3 ish tablespoons of fresh lemon juice.
Fantastic.!!
Meliss
Graham,
I was about to do the same thing since Parsley wasn’t in the ingredient list. So thank you! When in question, go straight to the reviews
Ginny Brant
This was an easy wonderful recipe! Delicious! Didn’t have zuchini so substitued mixed vegetables for corn and zucchini – still wonderful!
PMG
What about if you want to make it a little spicy ? What is recommend to be used ?
Chef Dennis Littley
you can add crushed red pepper flakes as part of the seasoning to kick it up a little. You can of course add what ever type of hot sauce when you serve it, but if you want to make it spicier overall, I would go with the red pepper flakes.
Jerry
Tried it tonight, amazing. I put the shrimp last so they don’t get rubbery. I also put a squirt of fresh lemon juice just before serving. Will definitely make this again.
Mike
Was looking for a seafood soup recipe using chicken stock or broth. Tried this yesterday using Cod and Halibut. LOVED IT!… It really does pay to cook the vegetables longer like Chef Dennis says (will start doing this with other recipes). Next time will add more vegetables (love my vegetables)! Thanks Chef, this was GREAT!