Fisherman’s Soup Recipe with Tilapia, Shrimp, Tomatoes & Capers

This richly flavored, but simple, fisherman’s soup is filled with tilapia (or other white fish), shrimp and a spicy tomato broth. Considering the depth of flavor, it is surprisingly healthy and low-fat.

When I was about 11 years old, my dad and I loaded up the car, Canadian singer Anne Murray’s silky voice cued up in the cassette player (I’m really dating myself here, aren’t I?), and headed off to the interior of British Columbia to catch some fish.

We spent most days put-putting along in a rented speed boat, cruising the lakes as we set our hooks with live bait or shiny spinners (I always called dibs on the pink one). As hard as my dad tried to teach me the nuances of fishing, I insisted on sticking to my rather unorthodox method of attracting the iridescent lake trout.

Pretty darn proud of my catch.

The funny thing was that it worked. On every loop around the lake, I caught one or two fish while my dad’s hook remained virtually untouched.

You want to know the secret, don’t you? This is it. Step one: Stand at the stern of the boat, hands cupped around your mouth. Step two: As loudly as you can, using your best 11-year old girl voice, yell, “Here fishy, fishy, fishy” over and over again. Step three: Hold onto your fishing rod…tightly. You call and they will come.

I’m sure the other fisherman absolutely loved us. “Gosh darn city folks!”

At the end of the day, we had some good-looking trout on our hands and limited pantry supplies. The order of the day was simply prepared fish, allowing the freshness to shine through. This soup reminds me of those meals. The simplicity of the ingredient list complements the flavor of the tilapia and shrimp beautifully.

(Side note: Don’t forget, you have until October 31st to send me your submissions for the Monthly Mingle. The theme is squashes! Read the details here.)

The recipe:
Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan set over medium heat.

Add the onion, garlic, red bell pepper and carrot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onions and peppers are tender, 7 to 8 minutes.

Add the oregano and chile flakes, and cook for 1 minute. Add the parsley and white wine, and cook for 1 additional minute. Add the tomatoes and vegetable broth, and bring to a simmer.

Add the tilapia pieces and cook, stirring occasionally, until the fish is almost cooked through, about 4 minutes.

Add the shrimp and continue to simmer until the shrimp is barely cooked through, 2 to 3 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in capers and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve.

Other tilapia, or other white fish, recipes:

Cookin’ Canuck’s Baked Tilapia with Arugula Walnut Pesto & Toasted Breadcrumbs
Cookin’ Canuck’s Fish Tacos with Creamy Green Chile & Cilantro Sauce
Jehan Can Cook’s Caribbean Style Stewed Fish
Tickled Red’s Surfers Island Spice Mahi
Sel et Sucre’s Crispy Tilapia with Spicy Thai Basil Sauce

Tagged as: caper, entree, fish, fisherman, healthy, low-fat, recipe, shrimp, soup, stew, tilapia, tomato