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Greek Fish Soup Recipe – easy to prepare, flavorful and delicious soup, that could be made with a few different kinds of fish. Comforting and delicious, perfect to be made year round.
A current favorite at home – this Fish Soup Recipe is light, fresh, lemony, chunky and delicious. I was never a fan of fish soup, until I made this Greek style variation. My whole family loved it and I promise to be making it regularly.
This basic recipe is made with minimal, easy to find ingredients and tastes amazing.
I love fish soup, but it has been a while since I made some. In the USA, I used to make Clam Chowder or stew like soup, with chunks of halibut, loaded with tomatoes, thyme and oregano.
But on my recent trip to Greece, my daughter was requesting a soup with each meal. And to my surprise, most restaurant we visited only offered freshly made fish soup. And she is not a big fan of fish, but loved the soup at most of the places. It seems all of them used a pretty similar recipe to the one I’m sharing with you today.
What kind of fish to use?
If you ask a fisherman’s wife what kind of fish to use in soup, she is going to tell you – use at least 3 different kinds of fish. But since you may have to purchase the fish – it could be made with one or two kinds of fish.
In this Greek Fish Soup Recipe I used two different kinds of fish – Fagri and Larvaki. Fagri is fish that can be found in Mediterranean waters, referred to as a variety of white snapper and even pink sea bream. It has an earthy flavor, but it is definitely not fishy. Lavraki is also a fish, popular in Greece and the Mediterranean. It is also called Mediterranean Sea bass. With its sweet and delicate flavor, moist tender flakes and a buttery texture, it is one of my favorite kinds of fish.
If you are in the USA, you can use Red Snapper or even tilapia.
Cod, Halibut and Tuna are also great options for a stew like soup, where you want to have bigger chunks of fish. Mackerel can be also used, but it is very oily and has an intense flavor, that I’m not a big fan of. For a sweet and buttery soup flavor, you an also add salmon.
Both Fagri and Lavraki have a nice mild flavor and the result is a light and delicious soup.
Keep in mind, that depending on type of fish used, the soup will have different taste.
How to make Greek Style Fish Soup?
- How long should you boil fish soup? You have two options here – boil the whole cleaned fish (or fish pieces) together with the vegetables or boil the fish first, strain the broth, clean the fish from bones and remove the skin, then shred the meat and set it aside. Add vegetables to the stock and boil until tender. Add in the fish. Prepare the lemon egg yolk Avgolemono, which works as a thickener and adds an amazing fresh flavor to the soup.
- Add ins – this soup is made with potatoes, which makes it nutritious and filling. Add some greens like spinach, if you want to add more veggies to it. You can also add some white rice or even egg noodles, if you’d like. Fresh herbs like dill, oregano, thyme and parsley can be added for garnishing.
- How to store? Refrigerate immediately, after the soup cools down to room temperature in air-tight containers. Keep in the fridge for up to 3-4 days. You can also freeze the soup in air tight containers or zip lock bags for up to 1 month. Defrost in the fridge, then warm up in the microwave or on the stove top.
More fish/seafood recipes:
- Sesame Crusted Ahi Tuna
- Pan Fried Salmon Trout
- Easy Salmon in the Air Fryer Recipe
- This Manhattan Clam Chowder from Healthy Seasonal Recipes is hearty, chunky and loaded with fresh chopped clams, tender potatoes, fennel, and smoky bacon. Easy to make, flavorful and delicious.
Fish Soup (Greek)
Ingredients
Broth:
- 2-3 lb fish - I used fagri and lavraki, cleaned, head on
- 7 cups water
- 1 bay leaf
- 6 black peppercorns
- 1/2 tsp salt
Soup:
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 4 medium potatoes, (3/4 to 1 lb), peeled and chopped
- 2 large carrots, chopped
- 1 stalk of celery, chopped
- Fresh chopped parsley for garnishing
- Sliced lemon for garnishing
Avgolemono: Egg Lemon Sauce
- 1 egg yolk
- 1/4 cup lemon juice
- 1 tbsp olive oil
Instructions
- Place the fish in a pot. Add salt, pepper and Bay Leaf and cover with water. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 30 minutes.
- Remove the fish (it will fall apart) and drain the stock.
- Carefully remove the bones and skin and reserve only the meat for the soup.
- Add the potatoes, onion, celery and carrots to the stock. Simmer for 12-15 minutes, until the vegetables are tender (it may take longer).
- Add the fish. Season with more salt and pepper. You may add dry oregano as well. Cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolk, lemon juice and olive oil. Slowly, while whisking add about 1/2 cup of the soup broth.
- Add the mixture to back to the pot.
- Garnish the soup with fresh parsley. Serve.
- Store in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
That looks delicious. I’m going to use this recipe. Thank you for posting!
Be aware that as written there is way too much lemon juice. I believe that it’s supposed to be 1/4 c not 1.4 c lemon juice.
Yeah..should’ve read this before adding 1 1/4 cup of lemon juice. I poured it in and then the smell told me I messed up.
Agree with those who posted a month ago that the lemon was way too much… 1.4 cup (about 10-12 lemons?) vs. 1.5 lemons or even 2 lemons would have been sufficient. This would have been a 5-star Review if this key component had been corrected in the recipe. Recommend searching for a Greek recipe with proper instructions for Avgolemono. (see mygreekdish.com) but again… this was my bad as I assumed the author was of Greek descent but could not confirm this.
That being said, I will try this recipe again as the rest of this recipe was perfect and took me back to the days Papou in the States prepared his simpler version of this soup. This is a healthy meal and excellently pairs with a hard crust artisan garlic bread.
Thank you Mira, please correct your recipe so others won’t be disappointed with the final tartness.
Hi, it is 1/4 cup of lemon juice. The recipe has been corrected.
But why would you send people to a different site? I took the time to cook the recipe the way I like it, made photos and created a blog post and you are here posting links to someone else’s site? This is not cool…
This looks beautifully simple and delicious. I am going to try and make today. I wonder if shrimp would alter the flavor to much . Maybe I add just a wee pinch of old bay ? I feel like what makes it good is letting the fish and the vegetables shine through.
A lovely soup. I found the onions were too harsh, and would sautee the veggies the next time I make this!
Thanks!!!