Fish soup

Mediterranean fish soup starts with a half hour stock of white fish heads and frames, and goes on with tomatoes, garlic, paprika, harissa and potatoes. The chunks of fish go in only for the last five minutes, so they stay whole and juicy.

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Gluten freeDairy freeParveAllergens:FishCelery

Updated

Fish soupIllustration
Time1 h 35 minCook 1 h
Pot8 bowls3.2 litres
Per bowl232 kcal22.3 g protein · a 400 ml bowl
Cost of the pot₪95for the pot, about ₪12 a bowl

The story of Fish soup

Fish soup is the cooking of every Mediterranean port. Fishermen cooked what did not sell, heads, frames and small fish, with tomatoes, garlic and olive oil, and so came the bouillabaisse of Marseille, the kakavia of Greece and the chorba of the Tunisian coast. They all rest on the same idea: a short stock from the plain parts, and good fish added at the end.

In the Jewish kitchens of North Africa fish is a food for Shabbat and holidays, above all as chraime, in a hot red sauce. Israeli fish soup takes paprika, cumin and harissa from that world, and its rules from the kosher kitchen: only fish with fins and scales, no seafood, and no meat or chicken in the pot. That is why it is parve.

What makes Fish soup itself

Good fish soup is built on two very different timings. The stock cooks for only 30 minutes, because fish bones give up all their flavour quickly and after that turn bitter and cloudy. The fish itself cooks for even less, 5 to 6 minutes at a gentle simmer. Harissa and caraway give it a Tunisian direction, and lemon at the end lifts everything and tames the fishy smell.

Fish soup for any number of people

Change the number of people and the bowl size, and every ingredient updates in grams, with the cost, calories and protein per bowl.

Bowl size
Units
3.2litres in the pot
4Pot to use, litres
₪95Cost of the pot
₪12per bowl
232kcal per bowl
22.3g protein per bowl
IngredientAmountCost
The fish stock
Heads and frames of white fish (sea bream, sea bass or meagre), gills removed1 kg₪12
Cold water2 l
Onion, quartered150 g · 1 pcs₪0.9
Celery stalk50 g · 1 pcs₪1.0
Bay leaves1 g · 2 pcs₪0.4
Cracked black pepper1 g₪0.1
The soup base
Olive oil45 ml₪2.4
Onion, chopped150 g · 1 pcs₪0.9
Garlic cloves, sliced20 g · 6 pcs₪0.7
Celery stalks, chopped100 g · 2 pcs₪2.0
Carrot, finely diced120 g · 1 pcs₪0.6
Tomato paste30 g₪1.1
Sweet paprika6 g₪0.5
Ground cumin3 g₪0.3
Ground caraway2 g₪0.2
Harissa20 g₪1.4
Ripe tomatoes, grated400 g · 3 pcs₪3.2
Potatoes, in 2 cm cubes400 g · 2 pcs₪2.4
Salt12 g₪0.0
The fish and the finish
Firm white fish fillet (meagre, grouper or sea bass), in 4 cm chunks700 g₪63
Chopped coriander20 g₪1.0
Fresh lemon juice40 ml₪0.8
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Shelf prices at a large Israeli chain and specialty shops, October 2026. Nutrition from the ingredients in grams, before cooking.

How many calories in Fish soup? Nutrition facts and calorie calculator

Change the amount of any ingredient, drop one, or pick a lighter version, and the numbers per serving update at once: calories, fat, carbs, protein, sodium and fibre.

Fish soup has 58 calories per 100 ml. A 400 ml bowl made with our recipe has 232 calories: 22.3 g protein, 7.3 g fat and 17.3 g carbohydrates. A 250 ml cup has 145 calories.

Lighter

Ingredients, for the whole recipe

  • 1,000 g12 kcal per serving
  • 1 pcs8 kcal per serving
  • 1 pcs1 kcal per serving
  • 2 pcs0 kcal per serving
  • 1 g0 kcal per serving
  • 45 ml46 kcal per serving
  • 1 pcs8 kcal per serving
  • 6 pcs4 kcal per serving
  • 2 pcs2 kcal per serving
  • 1 pcs6 kcal per serving
  • 30 g5 kcal per serving
  • 6 g2 kcal per serving
  • 3 g1 kcal per serving
  • 2 g1 kcal per serving
  • 20 g7 kcal per serving
  • 3 pcs9 kcal per serving
  • 2 pcs39 kcal per serving
  • 12 g0 kcal per serving
  • 700 g81 kcal per serving
  • 20 g1 kcal per serving
  • 40 ml1 kcal per serving

What each add-on adds to Fish soup

Values for the amount in the row, from the national food database.

Add-onCaloriesProtein, gFat, g
A tablespoon of oil122013.8
A slice of white bread792.50.5
A slice of challah12641.1

How to make Fish soup

In cook mode the screen stays on, tap a step when it is done, and the timers run next to each step.
  1. Clean the fish heads: pull out the gills and rinse away all traces of blood, which make the stock bitter and cloudy.
  2. Stock: put the heads and frames in a pot with 2 litres of cold water, the quartered onion, celery stalk, bay leaves and pepper. Bring slowly to a bare simmer, skim, and cook for 30 minutes over low heat, no longer.
  3. Strain the stock through a fine sieve; you should have about 1.8 litres. If you like, pick the cheek meat from the heads and keep it for the soup.
  4. In a wide 5 litre pot heat the olive oil over medium heat and fry the chopped onion for 6 minutes. Add the garlic, celery and carrot and fry for 4 more minutes.
  5. Add the tomato paste, paprika, cumin, caraway and harissa and stir for one minute, until the oil turns red.
  6. Add the grated tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes. Add the strained stock, the potatoes and the salt and cook for 15 to 20 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.
  7. Lower to a very gentle simmer and add the fish chunks in a single layer. Cook for 5 to 6 minutes without stirring with a spoon; just shake the pot gently.
  8. Turn off the heat, add the coriander and lemon juice, taste and correct the salt and harissa. Rest for 5 minutes and serve.

The science of Fish soup

Kitchen science

Why fish stock cooks for only half an hour

Fish collagen has fewer cross links than beef or chicken collagen and melts into gelatin at just 50 to 60 °C. Within 20 to 30 minutes the flavour and gelatin are already in the stock. Longer cooking pulls bitter flavours from the bones and leftover blood, and the stock turns cloudy.

Kitchen science

Why fish breaks into flakes

Fish muscle is built from short layers of fibres joined by thin sheets of collagen. With heat those sheets melt, which is why cooked fish separates into flakes. At around 55 to 60 °C the proteins set and the fish is done, and a rolling boil or a stirring spoon shreds it.

Kitchen science

Where the fishy smell comes from

Sea fish contain a compound called TMAO, which bacteria turn into trimethylamine after the catch, the molecule that smells fishy. Fresh fish has little of it. Acid, from lemon or tomatoes, turns it into a salt that does not evaporate, so a fish soup with lemon and tomatoes smells cleaner.

Kitchen science

Why the paprika is fried in oil

Paprika's red comes from carotenoids, which dissolve in fat. A minute in hot oil moves them into the oil, and the soup gets an even red sheen instead of specks of powder. Over high heat paprika burns in seconds and turns bitter, so fry it over medium heat.

Fish soup in every kitchen

Tunisian

A fish chorba with harissa, caraway, coriander and tomatoes, sometimes with small pasta cooked in the soup. Hot and red, with plenty of lemon.

Moroccan

The spices of chraime, paprika, garlic, cumin and chilli, thinned into a soup with red pepper and a big handful of fresh coriander. Some add chopped preserved lemon.

Greek

Psarosoupa is a clear stock with potatoes, carrot and celery, often thickened at the end with egg and lemon, avgolemono. Kakavia is the fishermen's soup, tomato based, made from whatever fish is left.

French, bouillabaisse

The soup of Marseille, with saffron, fennel, orange peel and tomatoes, served with toasted bread and rouille, a sauce of garlic, saffron and chilli. The traditional one includes seafood; the kosher one uses several kinds of fish.

Clear

Fish stock strained through fine cloth, with chunks of fish, root vegetables and dill, and no tomato or red spices. Here the simmer stays especially gentle so the soup stays clear.

Thai, with coconut milk

Fish stock with coconut milk, lemongrass, ginger, chilli and lime. Here a kosher certified fish sauce can be used, because there is no meat in the pot.

Common Fish soup problems and how to fix them

My fish soup came out bitter

Gills or blood were left in the heads, the stock cooked for more than 40 minutes, or the paprika burned. The bitterness will not leave, but lemon and a pinch of sugar round it off. Next time clean well and strain after 30 minutes.

The fish fell apart into shreds

The soup boiled hard, was stirred with a spoon, or the fillet was too thin. Cut large chunks of firm fish, lower them into a gentle simmer in one layer and shake the pot instead of stirring.

The soup smells too fishy

The fish was not fresh, or the stock was made from oily fish heads. Buy fish with clear eyes and red gills, use white fish for the stock, and add lemon at the end.

The fish stock is cloudy

It boiled, or the solids were pressed when straining. It still tastes good. For a clear stock strain it through fine cotton cloth, and next time keep the heat low and do not stir.

There are small bones in the soup

Strain the stock through a fine sieve, pick the cheek meat carefully, and run a finger along the fillet before cutting to find pin bones and pull them out with tweezers.

Storing, freezing and reheating

2 days

In the fridge

2 months for the base without the fish

In the freezer

2+4

To cool

Bring it from 60 to 21 °C within two hours and down to 5 °C within four more. Split a big pot into shallow boxes.

75 °C

Reheating

Reheat only to a gentle simmer for 3 to 4 minutes, because the fish keeps cooking. It is better to freeze the base without the fish and add fresh chunks when reheating.

Nutrition of Fish soup

From our recipe, per bowl and per 100 g, next to the national food database.

ServingkcalProtein, gFat, gCarbs, gFibre, g
Our recipe, a 400 ml bowl23222.37.317.33.8
Our recipe, 100 ml585.61.84.31.0
Typical Fish soup, 100 g524.32.32.70.7

What the ingredients of Fish soup cost

What each ingredient costs in one pot, and where to buy it.

IngredientPriceIn this potWhere to buy
Firm white fish fillet (meagre, grouper or sea bass), in 4 cm chunks₪90 per kg₪63Supermarket
Heads and frames of white fish (sea bream, sea bass or meagre), gills removed₪12 per kg₪12Specialty shop
Ripe tomatoes, grated₪7.9 per kg₪3.2Greengrocer
Celery stalk₪6.9 each₪3Greengrocer
Olive oil₪53 per litre₪2.4Supermarket
Potatoes, in 2 cm cubes₪5.9 per kg₪2.4Greengrocer
Onion, quartered₪5.9 per kg₪1.8Greengrocer
Harissa₪70 per kg₪1.4Supermarket
Tomato paste₪35 per kg₪1.1Supermarket
Chopped coriander₪4.9 each₪1Greengrocer
Fresh lemon juice₪20 per litre₪0.8Supermarket
Garlic cloves, sliced₪34 per kg₪0.7Greengrocer
Carrot, finely diced₪4.9 per kg₪0.6Greengrocer
Sweet paprika₪86 per kg₪0.5Supermarket
Bay leaves₪360 per kg₪0.4Supermarket
Ground cumin₪86 per kg₪0.3Supermarket
Ground caraway₪75 per kg₪0.1Spice shop
Cracked black pepper₪139 per kg₪0.1Supermarket
Salt₪2.1 per kg₪0Supermarket

Shelf prices at a large Israeli chain and specialty shops, October 2026, VAT included. Vegetable prices change with the season.

Make Fish soup a meal

Shabbat

Ready Shabbat food

Soup, hamin, mains and sides, with a quantity calculator and prices.

Plan Shabbat
Hosting

Hosting trays

9 trays to go with the soup, with a planner by number of guests.

Tray planner
Events

Catering

A whole menu in grams per guest, with a reheating table.

Menus

What to serve with Fish soup

Serve with fresh bread or toasted slices rubbed with garlic, lemon wedges and harissa on the side. At a kosher meal, fish soup is served as a separate course before the meat, not together with it.

The cuisine behind Fish soup

Tunisian

Tunisian cuisine

Fish soup is the cooking of every Mediterranean port. Fishermen cooked what did not sell, heads, frames and small fish, with tomatoes,…

Tunisian cuisine
Moroccan

Moroccan cuisine

Moroccan cuisine

Fish soup in large quantities: events, offices and communities

How much of everything by number of guests, at a 400 ml bowl. For institutional pots, catering and community kitchens.

GuestsLitres30 l potsCost of ingredients
25101₪295
50201₪591
100402₪1,182
200803₪2,363
5002008₪5,908

Every ingredient for any number of guests is in the calculator above: type the number of people.

Order Fish soup

A ready pot for Shabbat, an event or the office, ordered ahead.

  • Cooked to order, for Shabbat, an event or the office.
  • Tell us how many people and when, and we send a quote.
  • Delivery in Tel Aviv from ₪35, free over ₪750.
Ask for a quote for Fish soup

Order Fish soup for a large event

Large orders in Israel and abroad: events, offices, synagogues, communities and institutions.

  • In Israel: cooked in Tel Aviv and delivered to events in the area, and to large events anywhere in the country on a quote.
  • Abroad: for communities, events and restaurants. Tell us where, how many and when, and we come back with a quote and options.
  • Institutional quantities and a shopping list for any number of guests, in the calculator above.
Ask for a large-order quote

Frequently asked questions

Which fish is best for fish soup?

A firm white fish for the chunks, such as meagre, grouper or sea bass, and heads and frames of white fish for the stock. Sea bream and tilapia are good but more delicate, and oily fish such as mackerel take over the flavour.

How do you know a fish is kosher?

A kosher fish has fins and scales. Sea bream, sea bass, meagre, grouper, mullet, tilapia, salmon and carp are kosher. Catfish, eel, shark and all seafood, such as shrimp, squid and mussels, are not.

Can I make fish soup with chicken stock?

Not in a kosher kitchen, where fish is not cooked with meat or chicken. Fish soup is made with fish stock, vegetable stock or water, and that is also the right flavour: chicken stock masks the fish.

What is clear fish soup?

A clear fish soup with no tomato or paprika: fish stock strained through fine cloth, root vegetables, chunks of fish and dill. The secret is a very gentle simmer from start to finish.

How long does fish soup take to cook?

About an hour: 30 minutes for the stock, 20 minutes for the base with the potatoes, and 5 to 6 minutes for the fish at the end.

Can you freeze fish soup?

The stock and the vegetable base, yes, for up to two months. Cooked fish is better not frozen, as it turns dry and crumbly. Add fresh fish when you reheat.

What is the difference between fish soup and chraime?

Chraime is fish cooked in a thick, hot red sauce and served as a main course or a starter with challah. Fish soup is a true soup, with stock, vegetables and fish in the bowl.

How many calories are in Fish soup?

A 400 ml bowl of Fish soup made with our recipe has about 232 calories and 22.3 g of protein. Per 100 ml: 58 calories.

How much does it cost to make Fish soup at home?

A pot of 8 bowls costs about ₪95 at Israeli shelf prices in October 2026, about ₪12 a bowl. The calculator above works it out for any number of people.

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