Mediterranean Fish Soup

This easy Mediterranean fish soup recipe is one of my favourite easy meals as it can be ready and on the table in just 30 minutes. A great lunch option, but also hearty enough for a light dinner main.

This is also a versatile recipe, you can swap the seafood, veggies, spices and herbs to suit your own tastes, and what you happen to have in your refrigerator at home.

Recipe ingredients

• Oil - for the best nutty flavour I used extra virgin olive oil to gently sauté the vegetables.
• Vegetables - I used a combination of onion, carrot and celery to form the base of this soup. I then added a courgette, red bell pepper (although you can use any colour), and some fresh crushed garlic.
• Seasoning - aside from sea salt, I also flavoured the soup with cayenne pepper, smoked paprika, bay leaves and dried oregano.
• White wine - I used a good dry/medium wine to flavour the stock. Use wine you would drink a glass of yourself as it will affect the overall flavour of the finished soup.
• Tomatoes - I used 2 x 400g (14oz) cans of chopped tomatoes.
• Stock - you can use either fish or chicken stock in this soup recipe.
• Seafood - I opted for some haddock fillets and king prawns in my soup.
• Fresh herbs - stir through some fresh basil and parsley just before serving.
• Lemon - lemon and fish are the perfect pairing so I like to add a large wedge of lemon when serving this soup so that everyone can squeeze in a burst of fresh citrus to brighten the soup.

How to make Mediterranean fish soup

• Heat the olive oil in a large soup pan over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot and celery and cook for 5 minutes.
• Now add the courgette, red pepper, garlic, cayenne pepper and smoked paprika and sauté for a further 2 minutes.
• Pour in the white wine, turn up the heat to medium high and reduce for 3 minutes.
• Add the canned tomatoes, chicken stock, bay leaves and oregano and cook for 5 minutes.

• Now add the white fish and prawns, and cook for 4-5 minutes until the seafood is just cooked through, and the prawns are cooked and pink.

• Stir through the freshly chopped basil and parsley, and serve the soup immediately with a wedge of fresh lemon.

Recipe variations

• White fish - you can use any variety of white fish in this soup, try haddock, cod, hake, snapper, bass, bream or basa.
• Oily fish - I used white fish as that was what I had in the fridge, but you could also add a salmon or trout fillet for variety.
• Shellfish - I opted for fresh king prawns, but you could also use lobster, scallops, muscles or clams.
• Vegetables - you can add any variety of veggies to this soup, try mushrooms, fennel, olives, shallots, green onions, red chilli, green beans, garden peas, spinach, kale.
• Spices - feel free to adjust the spices and flavours in this soup to suit your own tastes, try fennel seeds, Italian seasoning, chilli powder, red pepper flakes.
• Fresh herbs - I used fresh basil and parsley, but you can also use dill, tarragon or thyme.

Serving suggestions

This is a hearty bowl of soup, ideal for a lunch or a lighter dinner main. If serving as a starter to a meal I tend to keep the portion size small.

I like to serve this soup with some toasted bread and a wedge of lemon, you could also serve some crusty bread or soda bread too.

Useful hints and tips

1. Frozen seafood - I used fresh seafood, if using frozen seafood that is absolutely fine, you will just need to cook it a little longer so it has time to defrost and cook in the soup, around 6-7 minutes.
2. Containing no dairy this dish is suitable for dairy free diners.
3. Use gluten free stock and this soup is ideal for coeliacs or anyone following a gluten free diet.
4. Allergy advice: gluten free, dairy free, egg free, soya free and nut free. For comprehensive and detailed allergy advice go to Allergy UK.

FAQs

Pin the recipe

Additional recipe suggestions

If you like this recipe then try some of these hearty soup recipes:

• Traditional Cullen Skink
• Leek & Potato Soup with Chickpeas
• Simple Bean & Vegetable Soup
• Spiced Lentil & Tomato Soup
• Vegetable Barley Broth
• French Onion Soup

Love soup? Then why not have a look at my 20 Simple Soup Recipes post, full of recipe ideas and some useful hints and tips for making a great bowl of soup.