When I worked at a seafood restaurant in Homer, Alaska, a young chef made an off-the-cuff Peruvian-inspired cilantro lime seafood pasta for a special one night. It was a slow weeknight, one where the chefs had a little more leeway to experiment. Few customers ordered it and he never made it again. But it was a hit among the staff and I’ll never forget it.
The two things that stood out were the lime and cilantro which fused beautifully with the sauce swimming with fresh seafood. This spicy cilantro lime seafood soup is inspired from that memorable creation.
This recipe is also included in my new book, Fearless Broths and Soups. The book includes over 50 simple 3-step recipes. It is part of the “Soups from the Sea” chapter which features soups made with fish broth. If you’d like to get more recipes like this one, be sure to keep reading below the recipe.
A Peruvian-inspired soup with fresh chiles, cilantro, lime and seafood all melding together in a fragrant broth.
1. Always play around with different spice levels to find what you like. Personally, I prefer using a chili powder because I can add small amounts and then quickly add more to get my preferred spiciness. Or, if you can’t tolerate any spice, just leave it out entirely. Always adjust things to your personal tastes. But don’t let your personal tastes keep you from trying new things either!
2. You could use canned tomatoes here but it will make this more of a tomato-cilantro-lime soup. For that reason, I prefer fresh tomatoes.
3. Use any combination of the shrimp, mussels and fish you want. Or just use one of them. Add other seafood as well – squid, clams and different types of fish are perfectly suited as well.
In addition to the Spicy Cilantro Lime Seafood Soup, my new book, Fearless Broths and Soups includes recipes for:
Craig Fear is the creator of Fearless Eating and the author of three books, The 30-Day Heartburn Solution, Fearless Broths and Soups and The Thai Soup Secret. After years helping clients with digestive issues, Craig decided to pursue writing full-time. He intends to write many more books on broths and soups from around the world! Click here to learn more about Craig.