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    Home » Recipes » Fish and seafood

    Greek Fish Soup Recipe (Psarosoupa) 🐟

    Modified: Mar 19, 2025 · Published: Jan 19, 2018 by Makos

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

    If you've ever struggled with watery, flavorless fish soup, this Greek fish soup recipe with potatoes is about to change everything. Psarosoupa isn’t just another fish soup—it’s comfort in a bowl. With white fish, silky avgolemono (Greek lemon-egg sauce), and the perfect balance of Mediterranean flavors, this might just be the best fish soup recipe in the world.

    A bowl with Greek fish soup (psarosoupa) and a plate with fish and potatoes.
    Jump to:
    • 📋 Greek Fish Soup Ingredients
    • 🐟 Best Fish for Soup
    • 🔪 Psarosoupa Instructions
    • 🎥Psarosoupa Video
    • 📖 Recipe

    What makes this fish soup recipe special?

    Psarosoupa (Ψαρόσουπα), pronounced as"psah-roh-soo-pah" is a rich and nourishing  Greek fish soup recipe full of fresh ingredients. Imagine a texture like a chowder but without the cream—thickened naturally with fish stock, pureed vegetables and avgolemono.

    It’s the kind of traditional Greek lemon fish soup that fishermen have been making for centuries, using whatever fresh fish they caught that day, but with a twist for an extra creamy result.

    Everyone who has tasted my mom's fish soup says it’s the best fish soup in the world, and I definitely agree. That’s why I’ve kept the recipe exactly as she taught me. I learned from her to serve the creamy soup in large bowls, with the fish and potatoes on a separate plate next to it, drizzled with a lemon and olive oil dressing (ladolemono). But if you prefer, you can mix chunks of fish into the soup.

    For more recipes with fish don't miss this oven baked swordfish recipe with a simple lemon vinaigrette, this easy salmon recipe with air fryer and oven instructions, and this easy Greek sea bream recipe (tsipoura).

    📋 Greek Fish Soup Ingredients

    For this Greek psarosoupa recipe you'll need the following ingredients:

    Labeled ingredients for psarosoupa.
    • White fish with the skin and bones. For the best tasting fish stock you need the skin and the bones, so please don't use fish fillets. My favorite fish is cod and red snapper.
    • Water
    • Vegetables (potatoes, carrot, tomato and red onion)
    • Cloves
    • Parsley
    • Bay leaves
    • Salt and pepper
    • Rice (optional)
    • Extra virgin olive oil
    • Freshly squeezed lemon juice
    • Egg

    🐟 Best Fish for Soup

    The secret to an incredible white fish soup is choosing the best fish. You want mild, firm fish that won’t fall apart while cooking. Fish soup with cod is an excellent choice, but sea bass, grouper, or snapper work beautifully, too. If you can find Mediterranean fish like red mullet or bream, even better!

    Here are some of the best fish for soup:

    • Cod – Mild, firm, and holds together well in broth.
    • Sea Bass – Delicate yet sturdy, perfect for Mediterranean flavors.
    • Grouper – Rich, slightly sweet, and doesn't fall apart easily.
    • Snapper – Mild and slightly sweet, great for soups.
    • Halibut – Firm and flaky with a clean taste.
    • Monkfish – Meaty texture, almost like lobster.
    • Red Mullet – A traditional Mediterranean choice with a rich flavor.
    • Atlantic Redfish – Firm with slightly sweet taste.
    • Bream – Mild and sweet, often used in Greek soups.
    • Scorpionfish – Rich, slightly sweet flavor. It has a firm, meaty texture highly prized in Mediterranean cuisine for fish soups and stews, like bouillabaisse or kakavia.

    ✏️ For this recipe you can use fresh or frozen fish (thaw the frozen fish overnight in the refrigerator). I suggest asking your fish monger to clean and scale the fish since it can get messy. See how to scale a fish from takemefishing.org (external link) if you don't know how to do it.

    🔪 Psarosoupa Instructions

    Follow this easy step-by-step guide for how to make the best fish soup (psarosoupa) every time! For the detailed steps with photos, please see the recipe card ⬇️ at the end of this post.

    Step 1: Boil the vegetables in a large pot.

    Step 2: Add the fish to the pot and gently simmer over medium heat until tender and flaky.

    ✏️ Use whole fish (or fish fillets with skin and bones) to create a rich, flavorful broth. After cleaning the fish, rub it with lemon juice, then rinse with water and drain.

    Step 3: Transfer all the fish and the vegetables from the pot to a serving plate.

    Step 4: Pass the fish stock through a strainer to catch any bones or other residue.

    Step 5: Add the onion, the tomato (without the skin) some of the carrots and about one cup of the potatoes to the strained fish stock and puree using an immersion blender.

    👉 You can also puree the soup in a regular blender in batches. Be careful though because it will be hot.

    Step 6: Add the rice to the pot and cook for 15-20 minutes or until the rice is done and turn off the heat.

    Step 7: Whisk eggs and lemon juice together, then slowly add warm broth to temper it. Stir it back into the soup for that signature creamy texture.

    👉 Avgolemono

    In this fish soup, except from pureeing some of the vegetables, another thickening technique is the use of avgolemono. An egg is beaten with freshly squeezed lemon juice and then it is gradually added into the soup. This mixture is called “avgolemono” from the words avgo (egg) and lemoni (lemon).

    ✏️ The hot soup cooks the egg so it is not raw any more. However, if you're concerned about consuming raw eggs, you can use pasteurized eggs.

    👨‍🍳  Expert Tips

    ✅ For the best flavor, before adding the fish to the pot, rub it with lemon juice, then rinse with water and drain.

    ✅ Don't skip the cloves! They provide warmth and complement the aroma of the fish. My mom also says they cuts down on any excess fishiness that can be unpleasant to some people.

    ✅ For exta lemon flavor add half a teaspoon of lemon zest to the soup.

    ✅ Strain the fish stock to remove gunk and fishbones.

    ✅ Don't heat the soup after adding the avgolemono because it can curdle.

    🍳 More Fish Recipes

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    If you tried this Greek Fish Soup Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!

    🎥Psarosoupa Video

    ❗Quick note: Cutting the vegetables over the pot is the "Greek" way of preparing many dishes. Please use a cutting board for safety reasons 🙂

    📖 Recipe

    A bowl with Psarosoupa (Greek fish soup).

    Greek Fish Soup Recipe (Psarosoupa) 🐟

    Makos
    If you've ever struggled with watery, flavorless fish soup, this Greek fish soup recipe with potatoes is about to change everything. Psarosoupa isn’t just another fish soup—it’s comfort in a bowl. With white fish, silky avgolemono (Greek lemon-egg sauce), and the perfect balance of Mediterranean flavors, this might just be the best fish soup recipe in the world.
    5 from 5 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Prep Time 40 minutes mins
    Cook Time 50 minutes mins
    Total Time 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins
    Course Dinner, Main Course, Soup
    Cuisine Greek, Mediterranean
    Servings 4 servings
    Calories 538 kcal

    Ingredients
     

    For the Fish Soup

    • 2 pounds (900 g) white fish (cut in 1.5-inch slices, with skin and bones, see note#1)
    • 7 cups (1,700 g) water
    • 1 ½ pounds (700 g) potatoes (peeled and cut into 4 see note#2)
    • 1 (200 g) carrot (large, sliced)
    • 1 (200 g) tomato (quartered)
    • 1 (200 g) red onion (quartered)
    • ½ cup fresh parsley
    • 2 bay leaves
    • 3 cloves
    • 3 teaspoons fine salt
    • Black pepper to taste
    • ½ cup (100 g) rice (optional, see note#3)

    For the avgolemono

    • 1 large egg
    • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice (plus more to taste)
    • 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

    For the ladolemono dressing:

    • 5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
    • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

    Instructions
     

    • Transfer the carrot, the potatoes, the tomato, the parsley, the onion, the bay leaves, the cloves and the salt to a large pot. Pour over the water, cover with a lid and bring to a boil. Once the water starts to boil cook for 20 minutes.
      A hand pouring water in a pot with vegetables.
    • Add the fish to the vegetables and gently simmer over medium heat until tender and flaky, about 15-17 minutes.
      ✏️ Use whole fish (or fish fillets with skin and bones) to create a rich, flavorful broth. After cleaning the fish, rub it with lemon juice, then rinse with water and drain.
      A hand adds fish to the pot.
    • Using a slotted spoon, remove the fish and the vegetables and transfer them to a serving plate. Cover the serving plate with foil and keep it warm inside a warm oven.
      A hand removes the fish from the pot with a slotted spoon.
    • Pass the fish stock through a strainer to catch any bones or other gunk. Discard the bay leaves, the cloves and the skin from the tomato.
      A hand passing the fish stock through a strainer.
    • Add the onion, the tomato (without the skin) some of the carrots and about one cup of the potatoes to the strained fish stock and puree using an immersion blender. If you want it thicker, add a few more potato pieces and blend some more.
      👉 You can also puree in a regular blender in batches.
      A hand holds an immersion blender and blends the soup.
    • Add the rice to the pot, bring to a simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes or until the rice is done and turn off the heat.
      👉 Stir frequently, otherwise the rice may stick to the bottom of the pot.
      A hand adding rice to the fish soup.
    • Whisk the egg, the lemon juice and the olive oil together in a bowl, then slowly add warm soup (half a cup at a time) to temper it. After you've added about 3 cups of soup, stir it back into the pot for that signature creamy texture. The residual heat of the fish soup will completely cook the egg.
      👉 Taste and adjust the salt, the pepper and the lemon juice to your liking.
      A hand transferring hot soup to a bowl with lemon and egg mixture.
    • Transfer the ingredients for the ladolemono dressing to a shaker or jar and shake well to combine. Drizzle the lemon dressing over the plate with the fish and the potatoes and serve them next to the soup.
      A hand pouring ladolemono sauce over the fish and potatoes.

    Notes

    Note #1: Prepare the fish: Scale the fish (if not scaled) and rub it with some lemon juice. Rinse well and drain. See how to scale a fish (external link) if you don't know how to do it. Cod and Red Snapper is my family’s favorite combination, but you can use other types of white fish, too. Use whole fish with skin and bones, for the best, rich flavor. Discard the skin and bones before serving.
    Note #2: In Greece, we use whatever potatoes we have at the moment. New potatoes will hold their shape better, but Russet potatoes will also do.
    Note #3: Any short grain rice will do. Don't use Basmati, Jasmin or parboiled rice.
    Note #4: Don’t omit the cloves!
    Note #5: Calorie information doesn't include the ladolemono dressing since it's hard to calculate exactly how much is consumed.

    Reheating:

    If you have any leftovers, store in the fridge for 3-4 days. Reheat the soup very gently over low heat and don't let it come to a boil because the egg may curdle.

     More fish & seafood recipes:

    • Fish Molly/Kerala style fish stew from Pepper Delight (external link). An easy, fragrant and exotic recipe straight from Kerala!
    • Mediterranean style salmon salad
    • Easy Mediterranean baked octopus recipe (in foil)
    *This recipe was first published on Jan 19, 2018, and got updated with new photos, video and detailed instructions.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 538kcalCarbohydrates: 55gProtein: 53gFat: 12gSaturated Fat: 3gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0.01gCholesterol: 154mgSodium: 1928mgPotassium: 1656mgFiber: 6gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 3503IUVitamin C: 54mgCalcium: 96mgIron: 4mg
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    💭 FAQs

    How to re-heat avgolemono fish soup

    Reheating a soup with avgolemono (egg-lemon mixture) requires extra care to prevent the egg-lemon mixture from curdling. Here’s how to do it properly:
    Stovetop Method:
    Pour the soup into a pot.
    Reheat it gently over low to medium heat.
    Stir the soup constantly to help maintain its smooth texture.
    If the soup has thickened too much during storage, add a little warm water to adjust the consistency.
    Do not bring it to a boil—heating it too quickly or at too high of a temperature can cause the egg mixture to curdle.
    Microwave Method:
    Place the soup in a microwave-safe container.
    Heat in 30-second intervals, stirring in between to ensure even heating.
    If the soup is too thick, add a small amount of warm water to thin it out as needed.
    Avoid overheating the soup, as this can cause the eggs to separate or curdle.
    For both methods, reheating the soup slowly and gently is key to keeping the texture smooth and the flavors intact.

    What is Kakavia Greek food?

    Kakavia is another traditional Greek fish soup made by fishermen with whatever fish they had available. It’s less refined than psarosoupa but equally delicious! 
    This kakavia article in Greek from gastronomos.com (external link) mentions that Kakavia is the Greek fisherman's soup, traditionally prepared right on the beach or in a sheltered bay where fishermen would stop—either to rest or take cover from sudden weather changes. The name comes from "kakavi," the bronze cooking pot they used.

    This soup is made using the fish that fishermen can’t sell (whatever they have left), with one-third of the water being seawater. It typically contains a large number of fish but yields only a small amount of intensely flavored liquid (fish stock).

    Greek fisherman's kakavia shares similarities with the French bouillabaisse, as both soups are simmered for a long time to achieve a thick, rich consistency.

    More Mediterranean Fish and Seafood Recipes

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    Comments

      5 from 5 votes (1 rating without comment)

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    1. Michele @ Bacon Fatte says

      January 19, 2018 at 8:54 pm

      Beautiful recipe! Pinned (twice) and looking forward to making it very soon... Thank you for sharing!

      Reply
      • Makos says

        January 19, 2018 at 10:38 pm

        Thank you very much Michele!!!

        Reply
    2. heather (delicious not gorgeous) says

      January 23, 2018 at 11:18 pm

      i'm used to adding egg to soup (like egg drop soup) for more protein, but never to thicken it! that sounds cool. and it's so interesting to see that you take all the fish and veggies out of the soup for serving; normally i only do that if i'm sharing cooking water between a few things and am too lazy to get out another pot (;

      Reply
      • Makos says

        January 26, 2018 at 6:34 pm

        Haha!
        It's like making 2 different dishes in one try! 😉

        Reply
    3. Joyce says

      January 25, 2018 at 6:43 pm

      Oh my gosh Makos! This looks freaaaaaaaaaaaaaakin' awesome! The only other fish soup I ever had was made by my mom also and I kinda missed it. I never really attempted to make it because I'm always afraid I'd end up making fish mush instead haha! But now I definitely must try this, especially since it's your mom's recipe! I love learning about the egg and lemon thickening method, the soup looks so fantastically creamy! Whee! Can you tell I'm excited?

      Reply
      • Makos says

        January 26, 2018 at 6:42 pm

        Thank you Joyce! Yes, moms make the best soups, right?
        If it wasn't for that 14th "a" in freaaakin' I would never have guessed you're excited! Haha!

        Reply
    4. Akhila@Pepper Delight says

      January 26, 2018 at 3:15 am

      This sounds interesting! Although I hail from a coastal region with a lot of seafood in my daily diet, I never have tried a fish soup. Another new dish for me to try, Thank You for the recipe.

      Reply
      • Makos says

        January 26, 2018 at 6:45 pm

        You're so lucky Akhila, coming from a coastal region! I'll be expecting some Kerala seafood recipes!!! 🙂

        Reply
    5. Maria says

      October 24, 2020 at 11:07 am

      5 stars
      This has become one of my favorite dishes, thank you for the recipe

      Reply
      • Makos says

        October 24, 2020 at 11:08 am

        Thank you Maria, I'm very happy to hear that 🙂

        Reply
    6. Katherine V Maniatis says

      June 16, 2021 at 12:43 am

      I hate fish and love this soup! Thank you for putting healthy fish back in my diet!

      Reply
      • Makos says

        June 15, 2021 at 9:52 pm

        Hi Katherine, I'm so glad you like this soup! It's one of my favorite 🙂

        Reply
    7. Toni Zanakis says

      January 13, 2022 at 12:57 am

      Reminds me of when I was little and my aunt made this. We usually make it with chicken.
      I was always looking for a recipe to make it with fish. I can’t wait to make this. Thank you for posting!

      Reply
    8. Georgie says

      September 14, 2022 at 11:29 pm

      5 stars
      Came back from a holiday in Crete craving more of this dish. Delighted to find such a well explained recipe, and the results were every bit as delicious as I ate in Greece. Now if only I could have the sea and sunshine to go with it too!

      Reply
      • Makos says

        September 14, 2022 at 8:41 pm

        Hi Georgie, that's great!
        This soup is my mom's specialty, so I 'm very happy you liked it! Hope you have the chance to visit Greece soon again!

        Reply
    9. Michael Pandelakis says

      June 09, 2023 at 12:08 pm

      5 stars
      Mako,

      I have zero experience cooking but I have plenty of experience spearfishing. I figured I’d try my hand at making a psarosoupa with a mixed bag of fresh catch. Your recipe is so easy to make, and the results were off-the-charts amazing. I ate 3 bowls at one sitting.

      You may have ignited a new passion for cooking. I’m looking for my next recipe on The Hungry Bites right now.

      Χίλια ευχαριστώ φίλε.

      Reply
      • Makos says

        June 09, 2023 at 9:37 am

        Hi Michael,
        Χαίρομαι πάρα πολύ!
        Thank you for kind words and wish you many great catches in the future!

        Reply
    10. Daryl says

      December 28, 2024 at 2:15 pm

      Makos, you crazy bastard! These recipes are to die for! Damn this was good! Thank you! I'm delirious!

      Reply
      • Makos says

        December 28, 2024 at 2:49 pm

        Hey Daryl! This is my mom’s recipe and EVERYONE loves it 😊
        Thanks for the feedback!

        Reply
    11. Sandra says

      January 19, 2025 at 2:08 pm

      5 stars
      The soup was delicious 😋!! Everyone including my grandchildren liked it!!I will definitely make this again!!

      Reply
      • Makos says

        January 19, 2025 at 4:12 pm

        I’m so happy to hear that Sandra! Thanks for the feedback 😊

        Reply
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