Sopa de peixe is the Algarve coast’s answer to using up whatever the boats brought in that morning, simmered into a soup that is lighter and more restrained than you might expect from something this flavorful. In many seaside restaurants it is the traditional way to start a meal.
It is not the same as our Caldeirada de peixe (recipe on the site), a heartier, layered fish stew with whole pieces of several fish left intact. Sopa de peixe is simmered longer and often partly blended or passed through a sieve, giving a silky, deeply savory broth with flaked fish and potato folded back in, closer in texture to Sopa de Cação (recipe on the site). Cilantro is non-negotiable: it is what makes it taste of the Portuguese south.
Use whatever mild, flaky white fish is fresh and reasonably priced at your market. This was always a frugal fisherman’s soup, built from the odds and ends of the catch, so there’s no need to hunt down anything exotic — the technique is what does the real work.
Sopa de Peixe do Algarve Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 pounds mixed white fish (such as cod, hake, monkfish or snapper, including bones/heads if available, tied in cheesecloth for easy removal)
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 medium tomatoes, chopped (or 1 cup canned crushed tomatoes)
- 1 green bell pepper, chopped
- 2 medium russet or Yukon gold potatoes, peeled and diced
- 6 cups water or fish stock
- 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 cup dry white wine
- 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro, plus more for serving
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- Crusty bread, for serving
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, garlic and bell pepper and cook until softened, about 6 minutes.
- Stir in the tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes more, until they break down slightly.
- Add the potatoes, bay leaf, white wine and water or stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for 20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.
- Add the fish (and the bundled bones or heads, if using) to the pot. Simmer gently for 10 to 15 minutes, until the fish is cooked through and flakes easily.
- Remove the bay leaf and the cheesecloth bundle of bones. Use a slotted spoon to lift out about a third of the potatoes and a third of the fish, then blend or mash them back into a bit of the broth and stir back into the pot — this thickens the soup while keeping some texture.
- Flake the remaining fish gently with a fork right in the pot. Stir in the cilantro, taste, and adjust salt and pepper.
- Ladle into bowls and top with extra chopped cilantro. Serve with crusty bread for dipping.
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