This richly flavored, but simple, fisherman’s soup recipe 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. 238 calories and 1 Weight Watchers Freestyle SP
This fisherman’s soup recipe brings back some very good memories. 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 fisherman’s soup recipe reminds me of those meals. The simplicity of the ingredient list complements the flavor of the tilapia and shrimp beautifully.
The fisherman’s soup 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:
Baked Tilapia with Arugula Walnut Pesto & Toasted Breadcrumbs
Fish Tacos with Creamy Green Chile & Cilantro Sauce
Fisherman’s Soup Recipe with Tilapia, Shrimp, Tomatoes & Capers
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 red bell pepper seeded & diced
- 1 large carrot diced
- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/8 - 1/4 teaspoon dried crushed chile flakes
- 1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1 28 ounce can petite diced tomatoes (juices included)
- 3/4 cup vegetable broth
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 1/4 pounds firm white fish such as tilapia, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1/2 pound medium shrimp shelled
- 2 tablespoon capers
- Salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- 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.
Notes
Nutrition
Disclosure: I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for me to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.
Liz @ The Lemon Bowl says
Oct 26, 2012 at 5:33 amI love fish soups of all kinds and this is one of my favorite versions!! It reminds me of my years in Boston and my family in San Francisco. Thanks for sharing.
Dara (Cookin' Canuck) says
Oct 26, 2012 at 11:30 amI’m glad it brought back some good memories for you, Liz. SF and Boston are definitely some great seafood cities!
SeattleDee says
Oct 26, 2012 at 6:49 amDelicious. Fish soup tops my list of healthy/tasty soups; add a touch of fennel or Pernod for an extra flavor boost.
Dara (Cookin' Canuck) says
Oct 26, 2012 at 11:30 amPernod, fennel or even Vermouth would be a fantastic addition!
Stephanie says
Oct 26, 2012 at 6:59 amOh this looks fabulous! Absolutely going on the menu next week. My only wish is that I had better access to fresher fish. Unfortunately southern Manitoba does not lend itself well to fresh fish access 😛
Stephanie says
Oct 26, 2012 at 7:01 amOh, and I am pretty sure the style you are sporting in the picture dates you more than the Anne Murray reference 🙂 Also, I completely rocked that coat too at some point in my childhood 🙂
Dara (Cookin' Canuck) says
Oct 26, 2012 at 11:31 amLOL. So true! It was not a good look.
Dara (Cookin' Canuck) says
Oct 26, 2012 at 11:31 amI hear you, Stephanie. Being in land-locked Utah leaves me yearning for the fresh fish of B.C. I hope you enjoy the soup.
Maria says
Oct 26, 2012 at 7:00 amThis soup is perfect for the cold weather we are having!
Dara (Cookin' Canuck) says
Oct 26, 2012 at 11:31 amAnd what a shock that cold weather was! I’m eating soup almost every day.
Emma says
Oct 26, 2012 at 8:23 amThis looks delicious, and perfect for a cold rainy week in Pittsburgh this week! My boyfriend has a shrimp allergy, should I just sub in extra tilapia, or can I replace it with something else? Thanks!
Dara (Cookin' Canuck) says
Oct 26, 2012 at 11:32 amEmma – yes, just leave out the shrimp. You could substitute with more tilapia, or add in a different type of white fish, such as mahi mahi or cod.
Emma says
Oct 31, 2012 at 8:59 amMade this last night and it was delicious! Thanks so much!
Lori @ RecipeGirl says
Oct 26, 2012 at 9:44 amDara- this is an awesome recipe. So much good stuff all in one pot. And how cute are you with the fish?!
Dara (Cookin' Canuck) says
Oct 26, 2012 at 11:32 amLOL. Thanks, Lori. It was a fun trip with my dad, that’s for certain.
Kathy says
Oct 26, 2012 at 9:51 amDelicious! Did not have any vegetable broth, so I made a shrimpy broth by boiling the shells after I cleaned the shrimp. I also used cod because there was no fresh tilapia.
Dara (Cookin' Canuck) says
Oct 26, 2012 at 11:33 amKathy – wow, you are speedy! As shrimp broth is a great way to add even more flavor. I’m so glad you enjoyed it.
Gerry @ Foodness Gracious says
Oct 26, 2012 at 10:22 amGreat story and what a catch! I remember going fishing with my uncle as a kid, I’ll never forget those times. That looks like a good soup for the cold weather…if wer’e ever gonna get any here??
Dara (Cookin' Canuck) says
Oct 26, 2012 at 11:33 amThanks, Gerry! I’d be happy to send you some of our cold weather. It was 26 degrees F here this morning!
Kalyn says
Oct 26, 2012 at 10:30 amThis sounds so healthy and flavorful! And love seeing your younger self too!
Dara (Cookin' Canuck) says
Oct 26, 2012 at 11:34 amThanks, Kalyn. I was really pleased with how this soup turned out.
Sommer@ASpicyPerspective says
Oct 26, 2012 at 12:01 pmDara, just look how CUTE you were! (And still are.) Love seeing the old photos. 🙂
This reminds me Cioppino which is one of my most favorite things in the whole wide world. We will be eating this over the weekend….
Kristen says
Oct 26, 2012 at 1:06 pmHahaha – oh I loved this!
Jeanette says
Oct 26, 2012 at 1:50 pmI love this Dara – nice and light but oh so good! What a cute picture too!
Bev @ Bev Cooks says
Oct 26, 2012 at 2:25 pmLOOOOOOOVE fisherman’s souuuuup.
And I love even more that picture of you, omg.
Lana @ Never Enough Thyme says
Oct 26, 2012 at 6:30 pmA lovely, lovely soup with beautiful Mediterranean flavors. Love it!
Christina Womack says
Oct 26, 2012 at 6:40 pmI am so making this 🙂
Pretend Chef says
Oct 26, 2012 at 7:17 pmThat picture of you… squee! So cute! The flavors in this sound amazing. Can’t wait to give this a try.
Rachel says
Oct 26, 2012 at 7:49 pmI hardly eat fish at home but this looks too good not to make! Yum!
Lora @cakeduchess says
Oct 26, 2012 at 7:54 pmThis soup would be perfect on this blustery evening from the hurricane. It reminds me of a soup my mother-in-law makes. Love the flavors and the photo of you fishing:)so sweet.
Aggie says
Oct 27, 2012 at 4:02 amThis soup looks perfect. I could honestly only imagine how good it smells. I love your fishing trip story, made me laugh! What a cute fisherman you were!
Dara @how_to_eat says
Oct 27, 2012 at 8:04 amThis looks fantastic and perfect for a rainy day like today! Could I sub another fish for the shrimp? Any suggestions?
Anna @ Crunchy Creamy Sweet says
Oct 27, 2012 at 8:40 amIt’s cold today and I could totally go for a big pot of this delicious soup! Love the picture of you!
Lauren @ Part Time House Wife says
Oct 27, 2012 at 9:51 amFishing memories are my most favorite of my growing up days. I wish so much I could go back and re-live so many of them!
This soup sounds like something my husband would slurp up in a second.
KimNB says
Oct 27, 2012 at 2:28 pmThis is definitely going in my soup repertoire. I love soups. A hint of smoked paprika would go nicely in this.
MikeVFMK says
Oct 28, 2012 at 3:32 pmlove fishermans soup and your version looks incredible. Love that pic of you a young girl, reminds me of my summers fishing with my uncles.
The Squishy Monster says
Oct 28, 2012 at 8:13 pmThere’s a Korean stew similar to this and I bet me and Pops would just LOVE this! It’s right up our alley =)
marian says
Oct 28, 2012 at 8:27 pmlooks great! i like to make soup at the start of the week and piece it out day by day since im just cooking for myself—that in mind, how long will this stay fresh? And how does it hold up to reheating (microwave) and freezing?
Deborah says
Oct 28, 2012 at 10:11 pmhaha – I love your fishing technique!! And this soup sounds wonderful!
David Jenkins says
Oct 29, 2012 at 8:16 amTried this last night with a few modifications. We added celery and diced potatoes to make it more of a stew and also used the shrimp shells in a cheesecloth bag to add more flavor. On a cool, wet night it was just perfect!
Anika says
Oct 30, 2012 at 5:56 pmThis soup is delicious! I’m so glad I found the recipe on pinterest — and your blog with it. Both are great.
Jennifer says
Oct 30, 2012 at 8:25 pmFound this recipe on pinterest and I just made it today. It was great! I don’t drink so I just subbed the white wine with chicken stock. I squirted some lemon juice over the soup, which was a nice but not necessary addition. Thanks again for such a great recipe!
Wizzy says
Nov 1, 2012 at 11:30 amSuch a great photo of your catch:-) Capers in soup are a new idea for me …sounds goood tho.
Valentina says
Nov 6, 2012 at 11:48 pmDara, this is my favorite sort of meal. LOVE it!
Knockout Kitchen says
Nov 14, 2012 at 8:19 amI’ve made a similar soup in the past but didn’t use capers. Capers seem like a nice touch.
janie says
Jan 4, 2013 at 5:09 pmI made this for dinner tonight to get us through an unusually cool cold spell in deep South Texas! It was light and tasty, the fish was firm and satisfying. I loved the taste that the capers imparted on the dish. Next time I may add a tad more pepper flakes for some extra kick. We had it with some crusty bread, slightly buttered. Over all, a delicious, healthy, and satisfying meal. It’s a keeper, and I plan to make it again! Thank you so much for sharing such a wonderful recipe!
janie says
Jan 4, 2013 at 5:09 pmP.S.
Mine looked just like your picture, right down to the red-orange ceramic pot 🙂
Vanessa (Mom's Menu Planner) says
Jan 25, 2013 at 8:25 amHello 🙂
I just wanted to let you know I linked to this delicious soup recipe here – http://www.momsmenuplanning.com/2013/01/freezing-cold-weather-food.html
Jennifer says
Feb 19, 2013 at 4:02 pmSo yummy! This is my second time making it in a month. Quick easy and delicious. Thanks so much for the recipe.
Jamie says
Sep 13, 2013 at 9:25 pmI tried this soup tonight and it was a success on the first try! My family loves it! I added an extra cup of water and 1/2 cup of vegetable broth for extra broth to eat with rice. Seasoned with double the amount of oregano and capers. MMMmmm…even my 4-year-old can’t get enough of it! Thank you so much for this delicious recipe. It will definitely be served at least once a month. 🙂
Annette says
Oct 21, 2013 at 7:38 pmI found this recipe through Pinterest. I made it tonight for dinner. My husband LOVE IT. And I quote: “This is a home run”. It was very delicious. I did not include the capers (my husband does not like them). It is so filling. I served it with Mexican cornbread. This recipe is a WINNER 🙂
Thank you for sharing.
Jennifer says
Nov 8, 2013 at 4:17 pmI love love love this recipe. It’s so healthy and full of flavor. I made this for my mother in law and she loved it as well. I’ve made this several times and it always comes out great. The capers are so great in this recipe. Since I dont drink, I just use more chicken broth. I’ve also made this with vegetable stock and it tastes great with that as well. Amazing recipe!!
Janie says
Jan 1, 2014 at 3:55 pmThank you for sharing such a great and simple recipe. I have made this a few times because the weather does get chilly, even in South Texas 🙂 I love how light the broth is. It makes for the perfect healthy meal without being heavy or over indulgent. Thanks for sharing 🙂
Waunda says
Jan 4, 2014 at 6:24 pmOhh, this was soo good! I used Italian seasoning because I didn’t have straight oregano, and I used the greater qty of chile pepper flakes. Perfect amount of heat; will make again 🙂
Laura says
Jan 13, 2014 at 9:46 pmI made this soup and it was the best. Will sure make it again.
Tiny bit of sour scream added to our bowls certainly made it superb.
Great recipe.
Laura
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Meghan says
Apr 7, 2014 at 4:33 pmJust made it tonight–turned out great. Thanks for the wonderful recipe!
Lindsey Chester says
Jul 29, 2014 at 9:43 pmHi, this sounds wonderful! Are the nutrition facts for a serving or the entire soup?
Rachel says
Nov 9, 2014 at 11:02 amI tried this recipe last night – and OMG, it is to die for! Thank you sooo much for sharing this recipe with us, Dara! I substituted tilapia with salmon (couldn’t find tilapia firm enough), but it was delicious. Perfect thing to have on a cold night. I will definitely be cooking this one again. 🙂
Wallacan says
Jan 11, 2015 at 9:35 amCan this be made in the crockpot? I skipped the capers, added bay scallops and used jumbo shrimp cut in bite sized pieces -also Fire Roasted tomatoes replaced the petite diced. This incredible soup was served with crusty roll and grated parmesan – YUM
JoEllyn says
Feb 26, 2015 at 4:58 pmI have made this several times in the last couple of months — it is AWESOME! I left out capers (don’t like them) and substituted a box of “seafood broth” for the vegetable broth. I also reduced the tomatoes by 25% and increased the broth by the same — e.g. when I doubled the recipe, I used 3 x 14oz cans of tomatoes and used 2 cups of broth (instead of 1.5). Soooo good. My family loved it. Will be making it again tonight.
Kim Dryden says
Jan 10, 2016 at 10:18 amHi! While I can substitute the fish all day long (not a Tilapia lover), is it okay to leave out the capers as well? Not a fan of capers or cilantro, go figure… 🙂
Thanks in advance!
Kim
Colin says
Feb 13, 2016 at 8:30 pmThis soups was delishoius
I added scollops and a fixed up jalapeño pepper.
Bruna says
Feb 3, 2017 at 7:19 pmTHANK YOU soo much for such a wonderful recipe! I’m a Brazilian living in Mexico and had this bunch of tilapia fillets sitting in the freezer and no idea what to do with it. I would eat the whole pan if I could! Best soup ever and best use of tilapia (so sick of broiling/grilling it). I only substituted the white wine for rose since I already had a bottle open in my fridge (and had a glass with the soup, plus some baguette). I’ll sleep so happy tonight!
Elle says
Mar 20, 2017 at 4:42 amThis soup is delicious! It will disappears quickly each time I make it. I followed the recipe as stated each time and it has always turned out the same. Thanks for sharing!
Dara says
Mar 22, 2017 at 4:13 pmThat’s great to hear, Elle!
Jess Torres says
Mar 25, 2017 at 3:09 pmThanks for the Fisherman’s soup recipe. It’s nice to find meals that fit my life style. I am a vegetarian and make a lot of our meals at home. We seldom eat out as it difficult to find restaurants that make a tasty vegetarian dishes. As for you transformation I must say I am impressed. It’s does my heart good to see someone take an interest in their health.
My story is that I became a vegetarian and lost 32 pounds. I went from a 38 inch waist to a 34″ and I have not gained any back. As a matter of fact that I am so active that if I’m not carful I start loosing weight. Keep up the good work and thanks again.
Meghan | Fox and Briar says
Oct 13, 2017 at 2:32 pmYess, I love seafood but I’ve never made a soup like this, so good!
Jessica says
Mar 24, 2018 at 4:40 pmI have made this 4 or more times now and it is absolutely delicious, even with the changes I have to make to suit my husband’s taste buds.. My husband loves it and I always end up wishing I made double the amount! He doesn’t like peppers or cooked carrot so I replace those with zucchini. I replace the wine with more broth (we never have it in the house), and leave out the capers.
Thank you so much for a great recipe.
Dara says
Mar 25, 2018 at 2:45 pmThat’s great to hear, Jessica! I’m so glad to hear that you’re able to make changes to suit your family’s tastebuds.
Celeste says
Nov 18, 2018 at 4:04 pmDelicious! Clean bowls for everyone! I added 8oz clam juice instead of the vegetable broth. I found I had to add cup and half water got make enough broth.
Michele says
Dec 10, 2018 at 10:51 amSuch a good recipe! I tweaked it a bit. I added more broth 2 cups (half vegetable/half fish), added a cup of corn and probably not as much fish (I had cod) as called for in the original recipe. Bumped up the spice with plenty of McCormick Sweet Bail and Oregano. Just such a satisfying and delicious soup. You’ve got some really great recipes on this site and I can’t wait to try more.
Peter says
Feb 25, 2019 at 9:30 amMade it this Saturday. Another great (and simple!) recipe. Thank you. Pete
Dave says
Apr 26, 2019 at 3:59 pmMade this today. Fantastic! Perfect seasoning in the broth. Will make again as it is very quick and easy to make.
Dara says
May 9, 2019 at 11:08 amThat’s great to hear, Dave! Thanks for letting me know.