Pink Fish Soup

This soup earns its name from the rosy blush of tomato paste and paprika against a rich homemade fish stock. It’s a two-stage recipe: first you simmer a proper stock with onions, carrots, bay leaf, thyme, and peppercorns, then you build the soup itself with sweated vegetables, tomatoes, and chunks of haddock or cod.

The vegetable base gets cooked low and covered before any liquid goes in. That five-minute sweat in butter softens the leeks, celery, carrot, and onion without browning them, which keeps the soup’s color clean. Stirring flour into the vegetables before adding tomato paste and canned tomatoes gives the broth body without cream.

The fish goes in near the end and only simmers for about ten minutes, just enough to cook through without falling apart. Shrimp gets added last and only needs to heat through since it’s already cooked. A dusting of paprika on top ties the whole pink theme together.

Chef Tips

• Don’t skip making the stock from scratch; it takes 30 minutes and the flavor difference over store-bought is huge in a soup this simple
• Cut the fish into even-sized chunks so they cook at the same rate
• Mace gives a warmer, more complex flavor than nutmeg here, but either works
• This soup thickens as it sits; thin with a little extra stock when reheating

Variations

• Stir in a splash of cream or coconut milk at the end for a richer, bisque-style version
• Add white wine to the stock for extra depth
• Use salmon instead of haddock for a deeper pink color and richer flavor