Sopa De Frijol Negro (Black Bean Soup)
Cuban-style black bean soup simmered with ham hock, scotch bonnet pepper, and a splash of dark rum stirred in just before serving. Rich, smoky, and deeply satisfying.
YIELD
6 servingsPREP
80 minCOOK
140 minREADY
4 hrsThis black bean soup has Caribbean soul. Dried beans simmer for hours with a ham hock, scotch bonnet pepper, and bay leaves until the beans are falling apart and the broth is thick and inky. Then it gets pressed through a food mill for a velvety-smooth finish with bits of diced ham stirred back in.
The dark rum added at the very end is not a gimmick. It cuts through the richness of the ham and beans with a warm, slightly sweet kick that you can’t quite identify unless someone tells you it’s there. Just half a cup transforms the soup from good to unforgettable.
Letting this soup rest overnight in the fridge before reheating is worth the wait. Like most bean soups, it tastes significantly better the next day after the flavors have had time to deepen and merge.
Pro Tips
- The quick-soak method here (boil, then sit for an hour off heat) saves you overnight soaking time. The beans still cook down fully in the long simmer.
- Use a scotch bonnet with the seeds removed for flavor without punishing heat. Keep it whole if you want to fish it out before pureeing for milder results.
- A food mill gives the best texture for this soup. A blender works but makes it too uniformly smooth. You want some body.
- Garnish generously. Lemon wedges, white rice, minced raw onion, and chopped hard-boiled egg are all traditional and each adds something different.
Variations
- Skip the rum and add a splash of sherry vinegar for a non-alcoholic version with similar acidity.
- Stir in a spoonful of sour cream or crema when serving for a creamy contrast.
- Use a smoked turkey leg instead of ham hock to keep the smokiness while using poultry.
Ingredients
Directions
Pick over the beans, rinse them, and put them in a large heavy pot with the water.
Cover the pot and bring the water quickly to a boil.
Stir the beans, remove them from the heat, and allow them to sit for 1 hour.
When the beans have softened, return the pot to the heat, adding more boiling water if necessary.
Then add the remaining ingredients, with the exception of the rum.
Continue to cook, covered, over low heat for several hours, until the beans are very tender and the ham falls off its bone.
Remove from the heat and remove the ham hock bone and meat.
Dice the meat finely and discard the bone.
Press the remaining ingredients through a food mill, taste for seasoning, and add the diced ham.
At this point, the soup can rest overnight in the refrigerator so that the flavors mingle, or it can be served at once.
To serve, reheat the soup for 5 minutes while stirring in the rum.
Side dishes of lemon wedges, cooked white rice, minced onion, or chopped hard-boiled eggs can be served as garnishes.
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