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.
John D says
Excellent soup recipe ! Making it for 12 this weekend with a side of crostini. Oh so good.
Chef Dennis Littley says
That’s what I like to hear! I actually got to serve it to John McCormick (Mccormick’s seasoning) and he loved it and said he knew I used his Old Bay to make it.
Margie says
This soup is the absolute best. Everyone I serve it to raves about it. I am lucky enough to live on Vancouver Island so fresh ( or fresh frozen) is always available.
Chef Dennis Littley says
Thanks for letting me know you’ve been enjoying my seafood soup. I love using what I have on hand to make this delicious soup and it sounds like you do to.
Mitch Reed says
Very very good. Excellent tasting. I used cod, shrimp, clam and imitation crab. The only addition was a teaspoon of red pepper flake. Will definitely make again.
Chef Dennis Littley says
Thanks for letting me know you enjoyed my soup recipe. I make this soup regularly with what ever seafood I have on hand.
Joanie says
I tweaked this a bit because I didn’t have Old Bay- so I added a pinch of allspice, cinnamon, ginger, cayenne, grated garlic, lots of salt and pepper + slice of orange, bay leaf and I used shrimp, Branzino and lobster tails. DELICIOUS!
Chef Dennis Littley says
I can only imagine how delicious is was with the branzino, shrimp and lobster!
Teri says
OHMYGOODNESS!! You saved the day or shall I say your recipe did!
FISH ON FRIDAY for us—so I wondered what could I make for myself and hubby tonight. Well, Google brought me to you and WOW! The soup turned out absolutely delicious. And I know the leftover soup will even be better tomorrow. Thanks for sharing.
You made me look good 🙂
Teri
Friday Harbor, WA
Chef Dennis Littley says
That’s high praise from someone in the San Juans, with all the amazing fresh seafood in PNW. I’m very happy to hear you enjoyed my soup and I hope you find more recipes n my site to try!
Dre says
Delicious use for leftover crab boil. Instead of 2 chicken stock I replaced one with the crab boil stock. And put cilantro on top. Mmmm
Chef Dennis Littley says
I’m happy to hear you enjoyed the soup, and got to use your leftover crab boil. I love making this soup, its versatile and I get to use whatever seafood I have in the house.
drew griggs says
thanks
Jerome Corbett says
I made this tonight……absolutely delicious!
Chef Dennis Littley says
I’m happy to hear you enjoyed my seafood soup! It was always a big hit in my restaurant days.
Sue Rawson says
I have made this soup twice now and it is wonderful. Best fish soup recipe ever. I think adding the tablespoon of Old Bay seasoning is definitely a must. So tasty. Thank you!!
Chef Dennis Littley says
I’m happy to hear you’ve been enjoying my soup!
Kimberly says
This recipe is great! I used what I had on hand (frozen seafood mix, frozen corn, and dried thyme), so I can only imagine how much better this soup is with all fresh ingredients. I contemplated halving the recipe, but I’m glad I didn’t…
Chef Dennis Littley says
I’m happy to hear you enjoyed my seafood soup! Even in my restaurant days it was a little different each time I made it depending on what I had on hand, but it was always delicious!
Gabie Burgos says
Hello Chef Dennis, I enjoyed making this delicious soup with Baja California’s amazingly fresh seafood and let me tell you that I didn’t have much seafood, just a really small portion of everything and it came out so flavorfull!! My big brother and sister could not believe I had cooked it myself! It’s very inspiring as I have been wanting to sell a good seafood soup as a side hustle in the popular border city of Tijuana, Mexico, and your recipe has given me hope because it really DOES taste like restaurant seafood soup!! Thank you for sharing your recipe wich is easy to follow and understand with no tricky weird ingredients or cooking secrets us normals don’t know!!
Chef Dennis Littley says
I’m very happy to hear you enjoyed my soup recipe. I love it because I use all the bits and pieces of seafood I save as a base and add what ever fresh seafood I have on hand.
Karen Cookson says
Really good, forgiving recipe. I’ve made this twice now. The first was exactly following the recipe and the second time I had to make adjustments because my fridge was empty. Both times this was a crowd pleaser.
Chef Dennis Littley says
I’m very happy to hear you’ve been enjoying my seafood soup recipe, and that you’ve been able to adapt it to what you have on hand. It’s one of my favorite soups to make because I get to use all the bits and pieces of fish I’ve saved in the freezer.
Marie says
Chef,
I know you stated that the soup reheats well. Can it be made ahead and frozen?
Thanks
Chef Dennis Littley says
You can definitely make it and freeze it. I always make extra and freeze half of it for times when I don’t feel like cooking.