Introduction to Seafood Soups

Any country bordered by some sea or ocean prides itself with a “famous” fish soup. As you will see in this course, there are many other fish and shellfish soups other than Bisque and chowder.

Fish, besides being tasty, is also one of the most popular and healthiest foods that are used in the diet of the modern-day man. Seafood is low in fat and high in protein and essential vitamins. It is advisable to use saltwater fish if you are introducing fish into your diet. Saltwater fish possess the fresh taste of the sea and have firmer flesh.

Typical fish soups would be topped with clams or mussels and oily fish like mackerel or eel and will include a selection of any white fish such as haddock, cod, red snapper, hake, perch, bream, monkfish, gurnard, or halibut. The more the variety, the better, but the present trend for including shellfish that is expensive can be overpowering.

Tuscan Italian Fish Soup or ‘Zuppa Di Pesce’ as a contemporary favorite that comprises five types of seafood originated from the fisherman’s unsold leftover catch.

Innovative cooks around the globe on the coastal areas have utilized different types of small crabs with culinary skills. Even if the crabs are too small, they have a lot of flavors and can be used to cook broths with their taste and flavor. The addition of vegetables such as zucchini, tomato, and potato with different types of spices and herbs are often added to enhance the taste. In Burgundy, France, a region without sea coast people will make Pochouse soup from freshwater fishes.

As fish is naturally delicate in texture, many recipes for fish soups advise that it should be cooked carefully, beginning with cooking the firmer side of the fish at the bottom of the pot. To enhance the taste, quickly cooked shellfish like clams, scallops, oysters or mussels can be cooked separately or poached and added to the soup with their juices.

Most often, people find it troublesome to pick the flesh of the bones of a fish, but using fish that is filleted instead of pieces of fish with the bone is not appealing and will not hold the characteristics of hearty fish soup. But, like for every rule, there is often an exception.

In Provence, mixed whole fishes that are 4 to 5 inches long are used to make the soup. The fish are well-rinsed and left uncut with their gut and other entrails intact. They are then cooked well, and the soup is passed through a food mill with the soup being thickened with the flesh of the fish. Thi succulent fish soup can be served as is or be used as a base for Bouillabaisse. In Bouillabaisse, whole big fishes are poached in the fish soup and served with croutons, Rouille and Aioli cold sauces, grated gruyere, and potatoes Anglaise cooked in the fish soup. This adds to the exclusive price tag besides being a unique dish.

​​​In any case, what will make a seafood soup a success is:

• The freshness and quality of the ingredients that are used.
• The ingredient combination to build maximum flavor.
• The cooking itself, allowing to concentrate the flavors without overcooking the seafood.
• Adding the right complementary garnish.

Seafood soups are great appetizers, but they can also make a great meal.