Caribbean Seafood Soup

A delicious coconut-based soup packed with crab, shrimp, mussels, scallops, and dumplings. It’s rich, spicy, and full of bold Caribbean flavor, the kind of meal that satisfies a hungry crowd for lunch or dinner.

We love a good soup in the Caribbean. If we can throw protein, provisions, and dumplings into a bubbling pot of seasoned broth? We’re in. This seafood soup checks all the boxes: it’s creamy, spicy, and absolutely loaded.

And don’t you worry that this is just a pot of fish and water. It’s a full-on seafood celebration in coconut milk, with all the flavor you expect from an island kitchen. (Also, if you’re into adventurous soups, go peep my cow heel soup too.)

What is seafood soup

Unlike a plain fish soup, this one includes a mix of seafood simmered in a seasoned broth with coconut milk, fresh herbs, aromatics, and dumplings. It’s a little creamy, a little spicy, and a whole lot satisfying.

You can switch up the seafood depending on what you have but just make sure everything cooks in a similar timeframe so it doesn’t turn into rubbery stew. No one wants chewy scallops of sadness.

How to make Caribbean seafood soup

Ingredients

You’ll need a mix of seafood, root vegetables, and fresh seasonings to build out that layered, rich flavor.

Provisions and aromatics:

• Irish potato, yam, and carrot – for body and texture
• Celery, garlic, onion, and scallion – the classic flavor base
• Scotch bonnet pepper – brings the heat
• Tomato paste – adds depth and color
• Coconut oil – for sautéing aromatics

Herbs and flavor:

• Culantro and cilantro – Caribbean green goodness
• Fresh thyme – a must in island soups
• Salt and black pepper – to taste

Liquid base:

• Unsweetened coconut milk – the creamy foundation
• Water and optional seafood stock – build your broth

Seafood medley (customizable):

• Crab legs
• Shrimp
• Mussels
• Scallops
• (Optional: clams, lobster, white fish, conch)

Dumplings:

• Flour or cornmeal dumplings (or cassava, if you’re fancy like that)

Instructions

1. Prep your dumpling dough. Mix flour, salt, and water until stiff. Set aside. (You can make spinners or little rounds later.)
2. Boil your provisions. In a large soup pot, add water and bring to a boil. Add potatoes, yams, and carrots. Make sure they’re fully submerged.
3. Pre-cook the crab legs. In a separate pot, boil seasoned crab legs briefly. Set aside.
4. Sauté your aromatics. In another pot, heat coconut oil and sauté onion, garlic, scallion, celery, cilantro, and culantro for about 2 minutes. Add tomato paste and stir.
5. Add the rest of the seafood. Stir in shrimp, mussels, scallops (and any other seafood except fish) and sauté for 5–7 minutes.
6. Combine it all. Add the sautéed seafood to the soup pot with the softened provisions. Stir in coconut milk, fresh thyme, scotch bonnet, and more water or seafood stock if needed.
7. Finish with dumplings. Shape and add dumplings to the soup. Let everything simmer until the dumplings float and the flavors are fully melded. Taste and season with salt and pepper as needed.

Tips & tricks

• Make your coconut milk ahead of time for better flavor.
• Season your seafood a day ahead with green seasoning and lime.
• Use raw seafood when possible, especially shrimp and crab legs, for better flavor and texture.
• Add fish only near the end of cooking to avoid it falling apart.

Substitutions

• Seafood: Use a frozen seafood medley if fresh isn’t available. Just defrost and season first.
• No crab legs? Use lump crab or canned crab. Fake crab works, but… we know it’s not the same.
• No yam? Swap for sweet potato, green fig, or even ripe plantain.

Serving suggestions

Honestly, this soup is a meal on its own. But a slice of bread never hurt anybody. Try it with sweet honey bread or even a spoon of sour cream on top for extra richness.

You can also serve it over white rice if you’re craving something closer to gumbo vibes. No judgment here.

Storage & reheating

• Reheat: Thaw overnight in the fridge if frozen, then warm gently on the stovetop over low heat.
• Fridge: Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
• Freezer: Freeze in soup-safe containers or heavy-duty bags (watch those crab legs poking holes!).

More soups

• Oxtail Soup
• Pigeon Peas Soup
• Caribbean Cow Heel Soup
• Butter Bean Soup
• Conch Soup

Frequently Asked Questions

Recipe

Caribbean Seafood Soup

A delicious soup packed with crab, shrimp, mussels, scallops, and dumplings. Ram packed with flavor, this Caribbean seafood soup is the perfect supper for a hungry crowd.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 20 minutes mins

Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 10 minutes mins

Servings: 8

Course: Soup

Cuisine: Caribbean

Ingredients Method

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x?

For soup broth

• 2 cups cubed Irish potatoes
• 1 cup cubed yam
• 1 1/2 cups cubed carrots
• 2 cups coconut milk make your own
• 1 scotch bonnet pepper
• 3 1/2 cups of water

For seafood

• 1 small onion chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped scallion
• 1/4 cup chopped culantro/shado beni/bandania
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/2 green bell pepper chopped
• 1 small can of tomato paste
• 1/2 lb raw crab legs or precooked crab legs
• 2 cups mixed seafood clams, shrimp, mussels, lobster, conch
• 2 tablespoons coconut oil
• 1/2 cup water

For Dumplings

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• A pinch of salt
• Water as needed

Method

 

For Soup Broth

1. In a heavy bottom, deep dutch pot bring water to boil
2. Add carrots, potatoes, and yam to boil (make sure water is covering vegetables (While vegetables are boiling you can start seafood section)
3. While adding seafood to broth, stir well
4. Add coconut milk and thyme and stir
5. If using cooked crab legs, add to dish
6. Leave to simmer for 5 minutes (while simmering make dumplings)
7. Add dumplings, scotch bonnet pepper and pumpkin to the dish
8. Add salt, and pepper to taste
9. Simmer for another 10 minutes

For Seafood

1. If using raw crab legs: Season crab legs with green seasoning and cover in a pot with water and boil for 10 minutes.
2. In a separate pot add coconut oil and saute onions, scallions, cilantro and culantro on high for about 2 minutes
3. Add seafood mix to pot and saute another 4 minutes (make sure you stir often)
4. Add tomato paste and water
5. Add boiled crab to pot
6. Lower heat to medium and cook for 5 (no more than 7) minutes
7. Add cooked seafood to broth (Broth step 3)

For Dumplings

1. In a medium bowl, combine flour and salt
2. Add enough water to make a smooth ball (add a little at a time)
3. Once ball is formed, break off pieces of flour mixture and roll into dumplings
4. Add dumplings to broth and seafood pot (Broth step 7)

Tried this recipe?

Let us know how it was!