Craving a comforting meal? Try Potato and Cod Soup. With its flavorful combination of vegetables and fish, it's the perfect choice for a cozy dinner.
Let’s talk about one of my favorite go-to recipes: Potato Cod Soup. Now, if you’re anything like me, you appreciate meals that check all the boxes—simple to make, quick to prepare, and bursting with flavor. This soup does just that! It’s an absolute lifesaver for those evenings when dinner feels like a last-minute scramble. The beauty of this dish is that you can use frozen cod and toss in whatever veggies you have on hand, making it as flexible as your schedule requires. Isn't that amazing?
At its core, this soup marries the classic pairing of potatoes and fish—a combination that’s both hearty and comforting. As you simmer onions, carrots, celery, and garlic together, the kitchen fills with aromatic goodness that’s simply irresistible. And for a bit of a kick, a jalapeño pepper adds just the right amount of heat, while tomatoes and tomato paste bring a delightful sweetness and acidity to the mix. To finish it off, a splash of cream creates a rich, velvety texture that keeps things light and fresh.
So, whether you’re looking for a cozy weeknight meal or a dish that feels like a warm hug in a bowl, this Potato Cod Soup is sure to become a favorite in your kitchen. This soup is similar to my Salmon and Potato Soup, which is another family favorite. I highly recommend you give it a try too.
Ingredients:
- Vegetables For Sauteing: onions, carrots, celery, garlic, bell pepper, jalapeno pepper, tomato.
- butter or oil - to saute the vegetables.
- salt, pepper - to taste
- tomato paste
- The tomato paste doesn't really make the soup taste too "tomatoey", but instead helps to balance out the flavors of the broth in this soup. I think it's the perfect touch of acidity, but you can choose to omit the tomato paste if you prefer.
- bay leaves
- water or vegetable broth
- potatoes - any potatoes will work in this recipe.
- cod - fresh or frozen
- heavy cream, optional
- fresh herbs (dill, green onions, parsley, etc)
- Fresh herbs make such a big impact on this soup, so I definitely don't recommend skipping them.
How to Make Cod Soup
- Prep all the vegetables.
- Saute the vegetables.
- In a dutch oven or a large pot, heat the butter or oil until hot, adding the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, sweet bell pepper, jalapeno pepper. Cook on medium heat for 5-7 minutes, seasoning with salt and ground black pepper to taste, until the vegetables have softened.
- Add the fresh tomato, tomato paste, and dry bay leaves. Mix to combine and continue cooking for another 3-5 minutes.
- Add the water/broth and cook the potatoes.
- Pour in the water or broth, adding the potatoes also, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook until the potatoes have cooked through, about 15 minutes.
- After all the vegetables are cooked through and soft, add the cod.
- Cut the cod into approximately 2 - inch pieces. You can use both fresh or frozen fish. If the fish is frozen, you can add it into the soup without thawing it; it will thaw and cook through in the soup. If using frozen fish, cook for about 5-7 minutes, and 3-5 minutes if using fresh/defrosted fish.
- Lastly, pour in the cream and garnish with fresh herbs. Serve while hot.
Helpful Tips For the Best Cod Soup
Yes, frozen cod works really great in this soup. You don't even have to thaw it - cut it up with a sharp knife (be careful with this step) and add it right to the soup. You'll just have to cook it for a few extra minutes. This is awesome when you're in a pinch, didn't plan ahead and can just grab the fish right out of the freezer.
This soup is really versatile and so good with a variety of fish and seafood. Try using other fish, such as trout, salmon, snapper, grouper, catfish, tilapia, etc. I have also added shrimp - it's absolutely delicious.
Adjust the heat level of the soup by using different peppers. If you want it to be more mild, use a poblano pepper instead of the jalapeno. If you want it to be even spicier than a jalapeno, use hotter peppers. Add the seeds to the soup - they have more heat in them than the actual pepper. You can also add some red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper.
Store the soup in the refrigerator for 3-5 days, covered. To reheat, you can use the microwave or do it in a small saucepan or pot on the stove. Pour in the amount you will be serving and reheat until it gets warm, no need to bring it to a rolling boil.
I would not recommend freezing this soup. The potatoes will become really mushy and blown out when frozen and fish has a tendency to get really dry when frozen, thawed and then reheated.
You can definitely leave the cream out of the soup. It will taste really delicious without it too.
Other Amazing Seafood Soups and Chowders
Potato and Cod Soup
Craving a comforting meal? Try Potato and Cod Soup. With its flavorful combination of vegetables and fish, it's the perfect choice for a cozy dinner.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 65 minutes
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Soup
Ingredients
- 1 large onion (finely chopped)
- 1 carrot (peeled and grated/shredded)
- 1 celery stalk (finely chopped)
- ½ sweet bell pepper (finely chopped)
- ½ poblano pepper (finely chopped)
- salt (ground black pepper, to taste)
- 1 - 1 ½ Tablespoons butter or oil
- 1 Tablespoon tomato paste OR 1-2 fresh tomatoes (seeded and chopped)
- 2-4 garlic cloves (minced)
- 1-2 dry bay leaves
- 8-10 cups water
- 3 medium potatoes (peeled and chopped)
- 1 ½ lbs fish (fresh or frozen (salmon, cod or shrimp))
- ½ cup heavy cream (optional)
- 1-2 Tablespoons fresh herbs (dill, green onions, parsley, etc)
Instructions
- Prep all the vegetables.
- In a dutch oven or a large pot, heat the butter or oil until hot, adding the onion, carrot, celery, garlic, sweet bell pepper, jalapeno pepper. Cook on medium heat for 5-7 minutes, seasoning with salt and ground black pepper to taste, until the vegetables have softened.
- Add the fresh tomato, tomato paste, and dry bay leaves. Mix to combine and continue cooking for another 3-5 minutes.
- Pour in the water or broth, adding the potatoes also, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook until the potatoes have cooked through, about 15 minutes.
- Cut the cod into approximately 2 - inch pieces. Add the cod at the very end, when the rest of the vegetables are completely cooked through. You can use both fresh or frozen fish. If the fish is frozen, you can add it into the soup without thawing it; it will thaw and cook through in the soup. If using frozen fish, cook for about 5-7 minutes, and 3-5 minutes if using fresh/defrosted fish.
- Pour in the heavy cream off the heat, if using. Garnish with fresh herbs.
Notes
If you don't want to have any spiciness and heat in the soup, use a poblano pepper instead of the jalapeno. If you want to add more heat, you can add some cayenne pepper or crushed pepper flakes.
The tomato paste doesn't really make the soup taste too "tomatoey", but instead helps to balance out the flavors of the broth in this soup. I think it's the perfect touch of acidity, but you can choose to omit the tomato paste if you prefer.
Thank you for this recipe. I have houseguests often and they all enjoy the soups that I make. This one is now a part of my repertoire - everyone enjoys it! I add a bit of fennel and some orange zest. Delicious!
I'm so happy to hear that you enjoy this soup, Jeanine. It's so nice that you use it to serve to your guests.
When you print the recipe it leaves out the tomato paste.
Thank you for letting me know, Sherry.
Just made this tonight for dinner and it turned out so delicious! I used frozen grouper. Thank you for the recipe.
Five star restaurant quality! We made per directions omitting the cream to keep calories healthy and used poblano instead of jalapeno pepper due to my wife's spice aversion. Hence son and I added a few shakes Cholula to ours. He made perfect Bloody Mary's to complement this soup. Our grocery store had fresh North Atlantic cod for our fish choice. This was a perfect meal on a chilly, cloudy soup weather day.
I'm so glad you enjoyed this soup, John. Thanks for taking the time to write.
This soup is absolutely delicious. I followed recipe as written used four cups vegetable broth and two of water. I added jalapeños to give it heat. I added dill and parsley to each bowl. My hubby ate two bowls and said it was delicious too. Thank you for sharing this recipe. I am always looking for healthy recipes to add to my recipe collection. It is an added bonus when they taste as good as this soup does.
Thank you for sharing your feedback! I am so happy to hear that you and your family enjoyed it.
Just whipped this up tonight! I added a little white wine to the broth- but who are we kidding a glass got added to me too! Thank you for sharing this. I had a large piece of cod I needed to use and was craving potato soup and voila! So delish! THANK YOU!
I'm so happy you enjoyed this soup, Kris. I think the addition of some wine is a great idea.
Thanks for sharing this recipe with us. I made it today for lunch,& my family loved it. Thanks so much for sharing all of your recipes with us, iv tryed almost all of your recipes & they r good & simple.
Absolutely delicious. Could you use smoked fish or would it ruin the flavour.
My go to fish soup recipe. It’s a favorite at our house. The flavor is scrumptious! I use coconut milk instead of cream at the end to make this dairy free and the combo is great!
I'm so happy to hear that, Inga. Thank you for taking the time to write.
Only had 3/4 lb halibut. Added 1/2 lb lg frozen shrimp. Blended the veggies before adding the fish to make the soup base creamy. Often our 3 yr old twins will pick out veggies. What they don’t know won’t become a test of wills. Added coconut milk to sweeten it a bit instead of heavy cream. They ate it all:-). Next time we’ll try the adult version when its just my wife and I.
This was so tasty. Didn't have sweet peppers and used OldBay seasoning rather than bay leaves. Used frozen cod...turned out super!
This will definitely be made again.
Really enjoyed it. Thank you.
This soup is rich and luxurious - it came together in no time with the ingredients I had on hand. I surprised myself with the deliciousness of this soup. Will make again and again and again! Thank you for this sensational soup!
That's wonderful, Stephanie! So happy to heat that you enjoyed the soup. Thank you for taking the time to write.
My cod turned out rubbery- is there a way to avoid this or is this just the type of fish?
(Also good to note to wear gloves while handling anything the jalapeño touched. My hand is still burning- hours after finishing the soup 🙁
It really depends on the cod that you are using, Galina. Sometimes it turns out so soft and tender and other times rubbery. I find that's usually the case with frozen cod, so it's hit or miss with frozen and I've never had it turn out rubbery with fresh cod. Also, be careful not to overcook. Fish overcooks really quickly and that will make it rubbery as well.
Great recipe! I’ve made it many times already!
Thanks so much😁
I followed this recipe to the letter and it was excellent! I shredded the carrots as you suggested, included the tomato paste, tomatoes and cream. Every bite was perfection. This recipe is absolutely a keeper. Thanks Olga!
That's wonderful, Caroline! I'm so happy you enjoyed the soup. I make this one regularly for my family. Thank you so much for taking the time to write.