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

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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
Fisherman's Soup Recipe with Tilapia, Shrimp, Tomatoes and Capers...Richly flavored and healthy soup! 238 calories and 1 Weight Watchers Freestyle SP #cleaneating #weightwatchers

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.

YoungFishing
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.

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

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.

Fisherman's Soup Recipe with Tilapia, Shrimp, Tomatoes and Capers...Richly flavored and healthy soup! 238 calories and 1 Weight Watchers Freestyle SP #cleaneating

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

Fisherman's Soup Recipe with Tilapia, Shrimp, Tomatoes and Capers...Richly flavored and healthy soup! 238 calories and 1 Weight Watchers Freestyle SP #cleaneating

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

Instagram-button If you make this recipe, I’d love to see it on Instagram! Just use the hashtag #COOKINCANUCK and I’ll be sure to find it.

4.6 rating
6 reviews

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

Loading nutrition data...
Prep Time 15 mins
Cook Time 20 mins
Total Time 35 mins

Fisherman's Soup Recipe with Tilapia, Shrimp, Tomatoes and Capers...Richly flavored and healthy soup! 238 calories and 1 Weight Watchers Freestyle SP #cleaneating

Serves 4

Ingredients

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 red bell pepper, seeded & diced
  • 1 large carrot, diced
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/8 - 1/4 tsp dried (crushed) chile flakes
  • 1/2 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine
  • 1 can (28 oz.) petite diced tomatoes (juices included)
  • 3/4 cup vegetable broth
  • 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  • 1 1/4 lb. firm white fish (such as tilapia), cut into 1-inch pieces
  • 1/2 lb. medium shrimp, shelled
  • 2 tbsp capers
  • Salt & pepper, to taste

Directions

1. 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.
    2. Add the oregano and chile flakes, and cook for 1 minute. Add the parsley and white wine, and cook for 1 additional minute.
    3. Add the tomatoes and vegetable broth, and bring to a simmer.
    4. Add the tilapia pieces and cook, stirring occasionally, until the fish is almost cooked through, about 4 minutes.
    5. 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.

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    Recipe Notes

    Weight Watchers Points: 1 (Freestyle SmartPoint), 5 (Points+)

    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.

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    Comments

      • I’m glad it brought back some good memories for you, Liz. SF and Boston are definitely some great seafood cities!

        Reply

    3. Oh 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 😛

      Reply

      • Oh, 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 🙂

        Reply

      • I hear you, Stephanie. Being in land-locked Utah leaves me yearning for the fresh fish of B.C. I hope you enjoy the soup.

        Reply

    5. This 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!

      Reply

      • Emma – 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.

        Reply

    7. Delicious! 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.

      Reply

      • Kathy – wow, you are speedy! As shrimp broth is a great way to add even more flavor. I’m so glad you enjoyed it.

        Reply

      • Thanks, Gerry! I’d be happy to send you some of our cold weather. It was 26 degrees F here this morning!

        Reply

    10. Dara, 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….

      Reply

    18. This 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.

      Reply

    19. This 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!

      Reply

    23. This is definitely going in my soup repertoire. I love soups. A hint of smoked paprika would go nicely in this.

      Reply

    24. love fishermans soup and your version looks incredible. Love that pic of you a young girl, reminds me of my summers fishing with my uncles.

      Reply

    26. looks 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?

      Reply

    28. Tried 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!

      Reply

    30. Found 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!

      Reply

    34. I 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!

      Reply

    37. So yummy! This is my second time making it in a month. Quick easy and delicious. Thanks so much for the recipe.

      Reply

    38. I 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. 🙂

      Reply

    39. I 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.

      Reply

    40. I 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!!

      Reply

    41. Thank 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 🙂

      Reply

    42. Ohh, 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 🙂

      Reply

    43. I 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

      Reply

    47. I 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. 🙂

      Reply

    48. Can 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

      Reply

    49. I 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.

      Reply

    50. Hi! 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

      Reply

    52. THANK 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!

      Reply

    53. This 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!

      Reply

    54. Thanks 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.

      Reply

    56. I 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.

      Reply

      • That’s great to hear, Jessica! I’m so glad to hear that you’re able to make changes to suit your family’s tastebuds.

        Reply

    57. Delicious! 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.

      5.0 rating

      Reply

    58. Such 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.

      5.0 rating

      Reply

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