🇵🇾 Paraguayan Cuisine

Caldo de Pescado

River Fish Soup

Prep Time 15 min

Servings 4

Difficulty Medium

Calories 282 kcal

A fragrant, golden soup of fresh river fish simmered with tomato, bell pepper, and fresh herbs — a light yet flavorful dish from Paraguay's river communities.

Ingredients

1kg firm river fish (surubí, dorado, or catfish), cut into steaks
8 cups water
2 tomatoes, diced
1 onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 bunch parsley
1 bunch scallions
1 tsp cumin
Juice of 1 lemon
Salt and pepper

Instructions

1 Sauté onion, garlic, and bell pepper in a large pot until softened.
2 Add tomatoes and cook until they break down.
3 Pour in water and bring to a boil. Add cumin, salt, and pepper.
4 Reduce heat to a gentle simmer. Carefully add fish steaks.
5 Cook 15-20 min until fish is tender and flaky. Do not stir vigorously — you want the pieces to stay intact.
6 Add lemon juice and chopped parsley. Serve in deep bowls with scallions.

Did You Know?

Paraguay has no coastline but is blessed with some of South America's largest rivers — the Paraguay and Paraná — which provide the freshwater fish for this soup.