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.
This was excellent! Weighed the cod frozen and I think thawed would have been more accurate. Will add more Cod when I reheat for an additional meal. Did not have vegetable broth and just water was too bland so I added chicken broth concentrate and more salt for flavoring. It worked. The condiments are a must for this soup; green onions, dill and parsley. Beautiful presentation and tasty on the finish.
Hi Paulette,
Thank you so much for your thoughtful feedback! I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed the soup! You’re right—using thawed cod does make for a more accurate measurement, but feel free to adjust the amount to your liking depending on how much cod you prefer in the soup. I agree about the fresh herbs - they make a big impact in the flavor of the soup:). Thanks again for trying the recipe and sharing your experience—I’m excited you’ll be making it again!
To me the soup is on the watery side. I used 7 cups of water. Can I decrease the amount of water by 2 cups to have a thicker broth or maybe add more potatoes? The soup has a good flavor.
Hi Nola, you can absolutely decrease the amount of water. Soup thickness is a personal preference. I prefer soup that is more "brothy", so that's how much I use, but the amount of water that you use is completely up to it - it won't affect the flavor of the soup, just the consistency.
How much tomato paste should be added? I don’t see it in the ingredients list.
About a Tablespoon. Thanks for pointing it out; I'll add it to the recipe.
This was perfection! I was worried it would be bland but something magical happened in that pot. I used cream cheese instead of heavy cream and marinated some chopped up shrimp in parsley, evoo, garlic, and oregano and tossed the whole thing in (marinade too) at the end. Shrimp cooked in about a minute. I’m not a fan of seafood soup but this one is excellent!
This recipe has an excellent base with all the veggies and tomato paste. What was missing for me was depth and flavor. It was just too bland for my taste. I spend quite a lot of time trying to get the flavor up. I added herbed salt, fish sauce, whole clams and juice to the veggie broth, Worcestershire sauce, dried parsley and fennel, and a big squeeze of lemon at the end. This did the job. Next time instead of using veggie broth, I’m going to use seafood broth.
Four years after I discovered this soup, it is still a staple at our house. We love it, I can’t explain to you how delicious the veggies smell as they sauté in the pot. And the other thing we love? This is a one pot soup! Delicious. By the way, k make it dairy free by adding one can coconut milk (unsweetened) instead of heavy cream. Tastes very good.
Made this soup tonight! I love a brothy soup. I accidently added tomato sauce instead of paste but the taste was absolutely delicious.
I'm so glad you enjoyed the soup, Margie. Thanks for taking the time to write and share your feedback.
Hello Olga...I loooove this soup! I think the only fish soup and best soup I've tried! This time, however, I don't have tomato paste...can I use tomato sauce instead?
Hi Natalie.
I'm so happy that you enjoy this soup. Yes, you can use tomato sauce instead of tomato paste. Any tomato product will work, such as diced canned tomatoes or even fresh tomatoes. I often use fresh tomatoes that I remove the seeds from and then grate on a box grater.
Great recipe except for the omission of the tomato paste in the ingredients list. I just guessed at it until I later found your answer in the comment section. I print the recipe before I start cooking so I don't have the luxury to search for proper amounts in the comment section. I also thought there was a bit too much liquid but that is really a preference thing. I really liked the addition of the poblano, gives it a nice flavor dimension. I will use this again and again!
Olga. Very armature home cook. I made your Potato and Cod soup yesterday. Loved it. I made 1/2 the recipe since I was cooking for just myself and my girlfriend which gave us about 5 bowls. That was enough for supper yesterday and a little left over for lunch today. I think it was even better today.
Just wanted to pass this on to you. Tomato paste is in the Instruction list at step#3 but it isn't in the Ingredients list. I used 1 Tbsp for 1/2 recipe. Not sure how much you would recommend.
Did I mention I was from Newfoundland so cod is our "thang".
Thank you
Randy
Oh my goodness! So delicious. It keeps being requested!!!! LOVE!!
That's wonderful, Allison. I'm so glad you enjoyed it.
I don’t see how much tomato paste to use. It doesn’t seem to be listed in your ingredients!
1 Tablespoon, Jean.