Sopa de Pescado [Video+Recipe] Fish Soup

Learn how to make our traditional sopa de pescado. A fish head soup recipe that is a light cheap, healthy, and delicious alternative to meat soups.

Course Dinner, Lunch

Cuisine Caribbean, Dominican, Latino

Keyword caldo de pescado, easy fish soup, fish head soup

Prep Time 10

Cook Time 15

Total Time 25

Servings servings

Calories 282kcal

Author Clara Gonzalez

1 ½ pound fish heads [0.7 kg]
2 tablespoon olive oil
Juice of 1 lime
4 clove garlic sliced
1 cup auyama (kabocha squash) (West Indian pumpkin or kabocha squash), diced, divided
2 sprigs of cilantro or parsley
1 large carrot peeled and diced
1 cup potatoes peeled and diced
1 pound fish fillet [0.45 k] cut into small pieces
1 ½ teaspoon salt (or more, to taste)
1 teaspoon pepper (freshly-cracked, or ground) (or to taste)

In a deep pot mix the fish head (see notes), olive oil, lime juice, garlic cloves, and half of the auyama. Pour in 2.5 quarts [2.5 liters] of water. Boil covered over medium-high heat until the auyama has dissolved and heads are cooked and flaky (25 to 35 minutes).
Remove from the heat and sieve to discard the solids. You can return any large pieces of cheek meat to the broth if you wish to dig it out.

Return the broth to the pot. Add cilantro, carrots, potato, and remaining auyama.
Cook covered over medium-low heat until the vegetables are cooked through (about 10 minutes).

Add the fish fillet to the pot and cook until it is cooked through (5-10 minutes).
In the end, you should have about half the liquid you started with, if it's too little, add some more water and heat through, if it's too much, simmer some more to reduce it. This is not a thick soup, the liquid has the consistency of broth.

Season with salt and pepper to taste. Remove from the heat and serve hot.

My mom did not strain the soup as in step 1, but I hate to find bones in it, so here I turn away from mami's recipe.