Easy Spanish Fish Soup [Sopa de Pescado] Recipe

In this article you will learn about the history and the recipe for one of the most famous soups in Andalusia; the Sopa de pescado, also known as Spanish fish soup.

You will also learn how to make Spanish fish soup and discover the different variations that you can make on the ingredients, how to serve it, and much more! It’s one of the most popular Spanish soup recipes.

Currently, the food is one of the most typical things to eat in Malaga and the entire Southern Spain region, so keep reading to get to know it better.

Background Spanish Fish Soup

In this soup the main ingredient is fish, and although one might think that this is because it is delicious food, it actually has a historical and cultural explanation.

The type of fish may vary according to the region, but since this is a traditional Andalusian recipe, the fish used is white fish or hake, since it is largely abundant in the coastal region.

It is believed that this recipe for Spanish fish soup was created in the 18th century, where fishermen cooked the fish of the day in broth or even seawater.

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Things You’ll Need

To make this easy fish soup recipe you don’t need much equipment and the ingredients are very easy to find, although throughout this article you will see the wide variety of changes that you can make if necessary.

You only need one or two large pots, a burner in your oven and then you are ready to start the recipe!

Ingredients

• 1 head of hake
• 7 cups (1.5L) water
• 3 carrots
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 tomato
• 4 hake fillets
• 1 leek
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

How to make Spanish Fish Soup – Step by Step Guide

1. The first step to making the best fish soup recipe is to make the fish stock. Then in a large pot, put the head of the hake, 2 carrots, leek, and water.
2. After that cook over low heat for 20 to 30 minutes, skimming the foam when it is necessary. Then strain everything and save the stock. You can avoid this step if you buy the fish stock at a local store, but it is tastier homemade.
3. Now in a saucepan put olive oil, garlic, and the rest of the chopped carrot and leek.
4. Once these vegetables get a golden color, add the peeled and cubed tomato. Then cook for 3 to 4  minutes and add the stock that you previously set aside.
5. Remove the pot from the heat. At this time you can leave the vegetables, or blend them with a blender. This is completely optional, and it varies according to your personal taste if you prefer to feel the texture of the vegetables or not.
6. Then put the pot back on the fire and add the hake cut into pieces and continue cooking over medium heat for 10 minutes until the fish is cooked.  To find out if the fish is cooked, you will notice that it has a uniform white color and a soft but not rubbery texture.

Substitution of ingredients

Since this is a pretty simple fish soup recipe, it offers a wide variety of changes in the ingredients that you can make according to your personal diet, the tastes of your guests, or simply what you can get in the stores of your neighborhood.

For example, you can completely remove the garlic if you don’t like it, add vegetables like diced onion and peppers. You can also play with the spices by adding smoked paprika, pepper, turmeric, saffron etc.

Feel free to change the type of fish, although hake is the best fish for soup, you can use another white fillet fish, or even add more seafood and make a Spanish seafood soup, Spanish seafood stew, or Spanish fish stew.

Besides that, you can make a creamy white fish soup if you add a cup of heavy cream at the end of cooking the soup and let it heat up.

If you add lobster, shrimp, or prawns you can achieve something similar to a Mediterranean fish soup, which is also very delicious.

Other Spanish soup names probably sound familiar to you, such as Spanish chicken soup, Spanish lentil soup, Spanish shrimp soup, among others. Do not hesitate to try these Spanish soup recipes, as they are very tasty and ideal for cold days.

Give a go to our Caldo de Pescao soup recipe, a delicious and easy-to-make soup with fish.

Tips on Serving

This typical food from Andalusia is commonly served during lunch or dinner. It is ideal for any time of the day as it warms up your body immediately, something that is essential in the cold days of the Andalusian winter.

You can serve it as a starter or as a main dish, just change the size of the plates according to the occasion.

If you have guests in your house or you want to treat yourself, serve it along with toasted bread in garlic and olive oil, or a little grated Parmesan cheese on top since they are foods that go very well with fish soup.

Looking for the perfect second course? You can’t go wrong with our delicious Spanish Garlic Shrimp [Easy Recipe!] or the delicious grilled Spanish mackerel.

How to store Spanish Fish Soup

You can save this soup in different ways depending on when you plan to consume it.

In some cases, it is recommended to eat the fish soup as soon as it is done, since sometimes the fish you buy is not so fresh, but if you are sure that the fish you bought is fresh, you can store it without any problem.

For example, you can keep it in a closed bowl for 2 to 3 days in the fridge, and simply heat it once you want to eat it.

Or you can also keep it in a closed bowl and freeze it for up to 30 days. When you are ready to eat it you must remove it from the freezer a day before and then when it melts you can heat it and serve it.

You can’t get enough of Spanish fish soup? Have a look at my webstory about sopa de pescado.

Recipe Card: Spanish Fish Soup

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