Italian Cod Fish Soup Recipe
This easy fish soup recipe is made with tender pieces of cod that are simmered in a rich tomato broth with vegetables, herbs, and fresh lemon. It’s a simple, Italian-style cod fish soup that tastes like a seafood stew and cooks in under 30 minutes. If you love simple seafood recipes, you’ll want to try my Whole Baked Trout, Whole Steamed Fish, or Baked Rainbow Trout.
When the weather cools down, I always go for cozy, comfort foods. Wholesome, heart-warming recipes like my No Bean Keto Chili and now this Italian Cod Fish Stew have been a favorite of mine. Whether you’re looking for an easy fish soup, a light cod stew, or a beginner-friendly codfish soup recipe, this one has all the comforting flavors you want without any complexity. The best part is that this fish soup recipe is so quick and easy because it’s cooked in one pot.
Cost-Conscious Recipe
This easy fish soup recipe delivers restaurant-quality flavor using simple and accessible ingredients, at only about $3.50 per serving. See the full recipe cost breakdown near the bottom of this post for details.
Why You’ll Love this Fish Soup with Cod
This cod soup is a classic tomato-based fish soup, which gives the broth richness, acidity, and depth without being heavy.
- One-pot dish: Everything cooks in a single pot for fast prep and easy cleanup.
- Ready in about 30 minutes: This quick fish soup recipe is perfect for weeknights.
- No need to pre-cook the fish: Cod cooks right in the broth and stays tender and flaky.
- Italian-style flavor: Cooked in a rich tomato broth with herbs, garlic, and vegetables.
- Wholesome and gluten-free: Loaded with veggies, lean protein, and clean ingredients.
- Soup or stew option: Keep it brothy for fish soup or reduce the amount of broth slightly for a thicker cod fish stew.
- Budget-friendly: Simple, accessible ingredients with restaurant-quality flavor at a fraction of the cost per serving.
Carb-Conscious Recipe
Lean cod and a veggie-rich broth keep this soup wholesome and lower in carbs, while still creating a hearty and comforting fish soup that has 24 grams of protein per serving.
Carb breakdown (per serving)
Total carbs: 13 g
Fiber: 2 g
Net carbs: ~11 g
Fish Soup Recipe Ingredients
Here’s everything you need for a simple, Italian-style seafood soup:
- Alaska cod fillet, also known as Pacific cod, is a popular whitefish variety. The moist, yet firm texture makes it a versatile fish. The distinctive flake and slightly sweet flavor adapts well to almost any cooking method. It even holds up well once cooked into this fish soup.
- Onion and garlic: A combo that adds and enhances the flavors of almost any savory meal
- Celery and green bell pepper: balances out the soup with nutrients and a bit of crunch
- Dry white wine: used to deglaze the pot and bring out more flavors
- Lemon juice: complements seafood with a vibrant tanginess
- Dried Italian seasoning: a simple way to add lots of flavor to soups and stews
- Canned diced tomatoes: The tomatoes with liquid create the signature rich color and flavor of a classic Italian tomato fish soup
- Stock: creates the broth for fish soup. Fish stock will add richer flavor, but chicken stock or beef broth can be used as well
- Tomato paste: helps thicken the broth a bit, plus adds loads of tomato flavor
- Fresh basil: garnish with lovely Italian flavors
Best Fish for Fish Soup
Cod is ideal for fish soup because it’s firm, meaty, and holds up well in the soup, but you can also use:
- salmon
- haddock
- halibut
- monkfish
- pollock
- rockfish
- shrimp (great for turning this into a seafood stew)
All these hold up well in a tomato-based fish soup or fish stew with cod. Avoid thin or delicate fish like tilapia, as they can break apart easily in the broth.
How to Make Fish Soup (Step-by-Step)
1. Everything is cooked in one pot in this simple recipe. Start off by sauteing onions until tender, then add celery, bell pepper, and garlic. Cook until tender, stirring occasionally.
2. Add white wine, lemon juice, and Italian seasonings. Heat until cooked down a bit, then stir in canned diced tomatoes.
3. Stir in chicken or fish stock and tomato paste. Simmer about 10 minutes more until heated through
4. Add fish pieces and simmer for about 5 minutes until the fish is cooked. Remove from heat, stir in chopped fresh basil, and serve.
Tips for Cod Fish Stew
- Add the fish in at the end so it doesn’t overcook and break up too much. No need to bring to a boil, just be sure the fish is cooked through.
- Try adding some red pepper flakes for a spicy kick, as well as extra salt and pepper to taste when serving.
- If you’re making this in advance, don’t add the fish until you reheat it and are ready to serve. This fish soup recipe always works great for leftovers and double-batches, which is covered later in the post.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need to pre-cook fish before adding to a soup?
Fish is a lean meat that cooks very quickly. You can add it straight to the warm soup at the end, just before serving. A bonus is that it soaks up the flavors while cooking. Allow about 5 minutes for it to cook through and become tender.
Can I Use Frozen Cod?
Yes. Thaw it fully in the refrigerator first, pat it dry, and use it as written in the recipe. Frozen cod contains more water, so thawing improves texture and keeps the broth from thinning.
Fish Soup vs Fish Stew
This recipe can be enjoyed as either a fish soup or a cod fish stew. For soup, follow the recipe as written. For a thicker fish stew with cod, simply reduce the broth, cook an additional 5–10 minutes to thicken, or add an extra spoonful of tomato paste.
How to Store and Serve Leftovers
- Leftover Storage: Store leftovers in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days, or freeze for up to 2 months.
- To serve: Reheat covered in a microwave-safe bowl until warm, about 2-3 minutes depending on microwave wattage. Or you can reheat in a pan over medium-low heat until warm, which is the method I prefer for the best flavor and texture.
Pro tip: Make a double batch for extra leftover soup dinners. Follow all directions with double broth ingredients, but do not add fish to the soup. Freeze half of the soup broth. When reheating leftovers in a pot, simply add raw fish to cook in the broth mixture.
The other half can be enjoyed right away by adding fish to the soup and cooking as directed.
Fish Soup Variations (Easy Ways to Customize)
- Add shrimp or clams for an Italian seafood soup.
- Reduce the broth for a thicker cod fish stew.
- Try swapping seasonings for Cajun, Mediterranean, or lemon-herb profiles.
- Add potatoes (not low-carb) for a heartier fish chowder-style soup.
- Use extra tomato paste to create a rich tomato fish soup.
Italian Fish Soup recipe at-a-glance
Flavor profiles: Rich, buttery tomato broth with mild white fish
Texture: Tender fish and veggies in a thick broth.
More Chili and Soup Recipes You Might Like
- Shrimp Tom Yum Soup
- No Bean Keto Chili
- White Bean Turkey Chili
- Healthy Turkey Chili
- Roasted Sweet Potato Chili
- Keto Cheeseburger Soup
- Vegan Cauliflower and Leek Soup
- Slow Cooker Chicken Pho Soup
- Classic French Onion Soup
View all soup, stew, and chili recipes.
More Fish Recipes to Try
- Canned Salmon Patties
- Shrimp Pad Thai
- Whole Baked Trout
- Baked Rainbow Trout
- Beer Battered Baja Fish Tacos
- Baked Fish Tacos
- Mexican Shrimp Cocktail
- Soy Sauce Glazed Steamed Fish
- Grilled Salmon Kabobs
Italian Cod Fish Soup
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons light olive oil
- 1 large onion diced
- 4 cloves minced garlic
- 2 stalks celery diced
- 1 large green bell pepper cubed
- ½ cup dry white wine
- 1 small lemon juiced
- 2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock
- 2 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes undrained
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 16 ounces wild Alaska Cod or whitefish
- 3 tablespoons Chopped fresh basil
Instructions
- Heat olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, and cook 6-8 minutes until fragrant, stirring often.
- Stir in garlic, celery and bell pepper. Reduce to medium heat and cook 5 minutes more.
- Add wine, lemon juice, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Stir and cook 2-3 minutes until most of the liquid is dissolved.
- Stir in the tomato chunks with liquid, chicken stock, and tomato paste. Cook 10 minutes more uncovered, or until bell peppers are just tender.
- Cut cod into small, bite-size pieces and stir into soup. Bring to a low boil and simmer 5 minutes, or until fish is tender and flaky.
- Remove from heat, stir in basil, and serve.
Notes
- Add the fish in at the end so it doesn't overcook and break up too much.
- You could also use other meaty white fish, such as halibut, haddock, or monkfish.
- Add more or less salt depending on the desired amount of sodium.
- Try adding some red pepper flakes for a spicy kick.
- If you're making this in advance, don't add the fish until you reheat it and are ready to serve.
- Make it a stew: For a thicker fish stew with cod, simply reduce the broth by 5–10 minutes or add an extra spoonful of tomato paste.
Just made it with some local Newfoundland Cod Fish, it was delicious, will be making again and using the recipe for a dinner party. Thank you!
That sounds amazing! Glad you liked the recipe and thanks for the comment!
Italian fish soup is one of my favorite! It’s so comforting! Terrific recipe.
I can’t wait to try this recipe but I just want to say first how much I appreciate that you adjust the recipe to how many people!!
I hope you do and thanks for the feedback!
Love it as written. My husband wants to add more fish to our diets and this is wonderful. Served it with toast made from day-old bread. So good.
Very good eating!
Thanks!
My newest favorite soup! Quick, easy and low cal!
Hello, I made a version of this soup and it turned out quite good.
I wanted to make a cioppino-type soup, but without shellfish due to Hubby’s allergy, so I bought Trader Joe’s frozen cod pieces and began an online search. I read several recipes and settled on Matt’s healthy recipe. I omitted the tomato paste, because I didn’t have it, and used a red bell pepper instead of green because that was what I had. I defrosted the cod and cut the larger pieces to match the size of the rest; they cooked very quickly. It turned out fabulous! I ladled some of the soup into bowls, but divided all the fish between the two of us. The next day, I added ingredients to the leftover soup base to turn it into minestrone. I will definitely make this again. Thank you, Matt, for a great, versatile recipe.
Love this and make it all the time. Love it with the cod. Today I added carrots, chunks of gold potatoes and yes, nopales, instead of the green beans I usually use. We like it spicy so I also put in a fair amount of red pepper flakes and black pepper No salt because of the fish and nopales. Served the soup with homemade cheddar cheese biscuits. My husband rated all as outstanding.
I made this soup tonight according to the recipe and it was too acidic for my taste. I will probably leave out the lemon juice.
Hi Clarissa. Thanks for the input. I’ve made it a few times and didn’t get that impression, but that’s a good tip depending on flavor preference.
To cut the acid in anything with a tomato base, I add star anise. I run 1 or 2 stars through my spice mill and add it in.
This was so easy to make! I made it to take for lunch the next day while I made dinner and it turned out very tasty I added carrots and green beans to it as well to make it a little heartier being that I work a 12hr shift and it was still light and delicious!! Will definitely make it again.
Just made this with my homemade chicken bone broth and it is hearty, satisfying and delicious- almost thick enough to be served over pasta if desired and covered with grated Parmesan or Romano! Just wonderful and I am keeping this recipe as a base for Italian soups. Could be done with chicken or shrimp or clams! Love it! Thank you.
The homemade broth is a great idea, and I bet this soup would go well with other meats. I’m so glad you loved the recipe and appreciate the wonderful feedback! Thanks!
excellent!!!
Just tried this soup with garden fresh tomatoes added chopped asparagus. The whole family loved it. A nice hunk of Italian bread perfect meal.
Thanks so much for the feedback Denise and glad your family loved it! I’m a fan of asparagus so will try that next time.
Wow! This one caught my eye, Matthew. Many of my favorite things, including the Pacific cod, a totally overlooked fish and so tasty and good in a dish like this. Gorgeous colors and light in the pics. Way to go!
Indeed this is perfect for cooler weather. Sounds lovely with the Italian seasoning, and it’s gorgeous, too!
Thanks so much Valentina! It totally is.
LOVE the fact that this is a one pot dish. Makes comfort food cooking *that* much better. Looks delicious!
Thanks Vicci! One pot is totally the way to go. As if comfort food needed to get any better 😉
Cod is my favorite fish and I buy it often. The dish looks so delicious and it’s definitely tasty.
I haven’t really cooked with it till now but love it! Thanks Ilona.
This looks so comforting! I’m all about seafood in my soups!
I agree, thanks Cricket!