Published on . Updated on . By Tayo. This post may contain affiliate links. See Disclosure. 2 Comments
Fisherman’s soup is a hearty and flavorful dish that draws its rich taste from a variety of fresh seafood and a robust tomato base. With hot peppers, fresh seafood, and tons of spices, this soup is anything but boring.
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❤️ Why you’ll love it
Fisherman soup has been around for hundreds of years, and it’s no wonder why – it’s made with classic ingredients and is full of flavor. Originating in Hungary with the purpose of warming up fishermen during the winter months, this soup eventually made its way down to Africa.
Several coastal tribes in Nigeria have their own versions of this soup—the Nigerian versions incorporate fish native to Nigerian waters. And, of course, with the warm weather, they rarely make this soup as spicy as the original Hungarian version (but my recipe still has a kick!).
No matter the season, this fisherman’s soup recipe is bound to be a favorite in your house. You can use fresh seafood in this soup for a delicious summer dinner in the warmer months. However, the heat and spice will warm you up during the winter months.
Either way, this soup is flavorful, filling, and super easy to make – the blend of flavors creates a unique dish perfect for a dinner party or family dinner. All you need is shrimp, crayfish, veggies, and spice – it’s that simple!
Because this fisherman soup is high in protein and vegetables, it’s healthy whether you’re eating keto, paleo, low carb, or just trying to balance your diet.
🧾 Ingredients Used
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- Seafood: This soup calls for cooked shrimp and catfish. You can cook the fish beforehand, saving you some time while making this soup!
- Vegetables: You’ll need tomatoes, red bell peppers, and habanero pepper. These veggies add tons of flavor and a bit of heat!
- Mushrooms: This adds more texture and a richer flavor to this soup.
- Spices: With ground crayfish, cayenne pepper, bouillon powder, black pepper, and salt, this soup is not lacking in flavor. This combination of spices really packs a punch!
- Optional thickener: Add arrowroot powder if you want the soup thicker.
🔪 How To Cook Fisherman Soup
- Blend the tomatoes, red bell pepper, and habanero peppers.
- Pour olive oil into a pot & when heated, add the onions. Sauté till translucent.
- Pour in the blended tomatoes & pepper and simmer for 10 minutes on low heat.
- Add in the spices and stir. Then, pour in 4 cups of water.
- To thicken, mix the arrowroot powder with ¼ cup of water & pour it in.
- Simmer for 5 mins, then add the catfish.
- After 10 minutes, add the shrimp and mushrooms.
- Simmer for 10-15 mins or until all the seafood & mushrooms are cooked through.
🥫 Storing and Reheating
You can store this soup in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to five days. Remove the fish from the broth before reheating the broth. Then, add in the fish and heat briefly so you don’t cook the fish for too long.
💭 Tips and Variations
- Add fresh herbs: Don’t add herbs while the soup is simmering; add them just before serving for added flavor. You can top this soup with basil or scent leaves.
- Simmer longer: Before adding the fish, simmer the vegetables and spices for longer so the flavors have more time to blend and strengthen.
- Less habanero pepper: If you’re not into spicy food, reduce the amount of habanero pepper to bring down the heat.
- Add more spice: Those who love spicy food can add more cayenne pepper or even some chili pepper.
- Use different vegetables: Feel free to use a variety of peppers, zucchini, or whatever vegetables you have on hand.
- It’s better the next day: Some dishes get better after sitting – this soup is one of them. Let it sit overnight to let the flavors blend together and get a little sharper.
🍽️ What can I eat this recipe with?
You can eat fisherman’s soup alone for a light soup meal or serve with some rice. On a low carb diet, I eat mine with cauliflower rice.
For a larger dinner, you can also try out these air-fried green beans, instant-pot kale, or instant-pot cabbage on the side of this soup.
Fisherman soup also goes great with dinner rolls or biscuits with butter for a super comforting, warm meal.
👩🍳 Frequently asked questions
This soup originated in Hungary, and it is native to the Danube and Tisza river regions. It is also popular among ethnic German Donauschwaben and their descendants. Made with hot peppers, it is one of the spiciest dishes native to Europe!
However, many cultures have their own versions of this soup. The recipe above is closest to some of the Nigerian versions of fisherman’s soup; it’s native to the people of the Rivers State in Nigeria.
Fish soups have been around since the beginning of human history. The original fisherman soup was known as ‘Halaszly.’ It was made by fishermen in Hungary – they used Turkish pepper to season the fish parts.
In other regions, this soup was referred to as ‘halacli,’ and was seasoned with paprika. It was purposely made to be spicy to warm up the fisherman after a long winter’s day at sea.
Fisherman Soup is typically made from broth derived from fish trimmings like fresh carp heads, bones, skin, and fins. Then, it is simmered with vegetables like peppers and tomatoes. However, this recipe is slightly different, made from shrimp, catfish, mushrooms, and peppers.
Fish broth is made from simmering fish bones for an extended period of time, flavoring and thickening the liquid. Fish soup is made from broth and usually has chunks of fish or vegetables.
📖 Recipe
Fisherman Soup
Fisherman soup is a hearty and flavorful dish that draws its rich taste from a variety of fresh seafood and a robust tomato base. With hot peppers, fresh seafood, and tons of spices, this soup is anything but boring.
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Servings:8
Calories:320kcal
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Instructions
Blend the tomatoes,red bell pepper,and habanero peppers.
1 roma tomato,2 red bell peppers,2 habanero peppers
Pour olive oil into a pot and when heated,add the onions.
2 tablespoon olive oil,½ onion
Sauté till translucent.
Pour in the blended tomatoes &pepper and simmer for 10 minutes on low heat.
Add in the spices and stir. Then pour in 4 cups of water.
2 tablespoon ground crayfish,1 teaspoon pepper soup spice,1 teaspoon cayenne pepper,1.5 tablespoon bouillon powder,1 teaspoon black pepper,1 teaspoon salt
To thicken,mix the arrowroot powder with ¼ cup of water &pour it in.
2 tablespoon arrowroot powder
Simmer for 5 mins,then add the catfish.
4 lbs catfish
After 10 minutes,add the shrimp and mushrooms.
12 oz shrimp,8 oz mushrooms
Simmer for 10-15 mins or until all the seafood &mushrooms are cooked through.
Notes
- Add fresh herbs:Don’t add herbs while the soup is simmering;add them just before serving for added flavor. You can top this soup with basil or scent leaves.
- Simmer longer:Before adding the fish,simmer the vegetables and spices for longer so the flavors have more time to blend and strengthen.
- Less habanero pepper:If you’re not into spicy food,reduce the amount of habanero pepper to bring down the heat.
- Add more spice:Those who love spicy food can add more cayenne pepper or even some chili pepper.
- Use different vegetables:Feel free to use a variety of peppers,zucchini,or whatever vegetables you have on hand.
- It’s better the next day:Some dishes get better after sitting – this soup is one of them. Let it sit overnight to let the flavors blend together and get a little sharper.
Nutrition
Calories:320kcal| Carbohydrates:6g| Protein:47g| Fat:11g| Saturated Fat:2g| Polyunsaturated Fat:2g| Monounsaturated Fat:5g| Cholesterol:132mg| Sodium:698mg| Potassium:1.078mg| Fiber:1g| Sugar:3g| Vitamin A:1.135IU| Vitamin C:45mg| Calcium:38mg| Iron:1mg