Coconut Lime Shrimp and Cod Chowder
This Coconut Lime Shrimp and Cod Chowder is a seemingly light meal that’s so full of seafood, it’s guaranteed to keep you satisfied for a very long time.
I’m not usually all that big on soup. Most soups, I find, are way too light to be eaten as a meal and tend to leave you starving just a few hours after you’ve had your last bite, if not down right immediately after.
But this Coconut Lime Shrimp and Cod Chowder, despite being a seemingly light meal, is so chock full of fish and seafood, it won’t let you down quite so quickly…
In fact, this seafood chowder is made with pretty much nothing but shrimp and big chunks of cod. Oh, and a few bell peppers and tomatoes, some chopped onions and a handful of cilantro.
But the thick, creamy and highly aromatic broth that brings all those ingredients together actually comes quasi-exclusively from the ingredients themselves; indeed, not even 2 cups of liquid get added to the pot – and none of it happens to be water!
You’re looking at half a cup of fish stock (or clam juice if you don’t have or can’t find fish stock), a third of a cup of freshly squeezed lime juice, which also happens to get used to marinate the seafood, and a cup of coconut milk, which only gets added at the very end, when all is said and done, for TONS of added flavor and extra creaminess.
The rest all gets released during cooking by the seafood and tomatoes. I’m telling you, it doesn’t come much more flavorful than this.
And with so much protein in every serving, this soup is guaranteed to keep your tummy totally full and satisfied for a very long time!
As a first step, combine the raw shrimp, cubed cod fillet, minced garlic, lime juice, salt, pepper and chili pepper flakes in a large bowl; stir and set aside to marinate for a few minutes, preferably in the refrigerator, while you prep the rest of your ingredients and continue working on your chowder.
In a large 4½ quart Dutch oven or medium saucepan, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil over medium heat. Add the chopped onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until just translucent and softened, about 2 minutes.
Then, add the bell peppers and continue cooking for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until slightly softened. Add the fish stock and cook for another minute or so.
This may look like very little liquid, but trust me, you really don’t need more than that. Like I said earlier, the seafood and tomatoes will be taking care of generating a super tasty broth for your chowder.
Speaking of which, it’s now time to add the shrimp and chunks of cod to your pot, along with their marinade… Don’t you go throwing that away: not only will it add tons of flavor but it will also contribute to the the formation of the broth that’s about to magically appear before your very eyes.
Next in are the diced tomatoes. These guys too, will be releasing a lot of juices and flavor into the pot!
Cook all these yummy ingredients for about 8 to 10 minutes, stirring very delicately from time to time, until the shrimp and fish are just opaque throughout and plenty of liquid has been released into the pot.
See what I’m talking about? Not at single thing was added after the tomatoes… this liquid is all from the shrimp, fish and tomatoes alone.
Talk about flavor!
Now, to make that tasty broth a little bit thicker: dilute the tapioca starch in the water and delicately stir that in the chowder; bring the soup back to a simmer, cook for a full minute and then kill the heat.
Delicately stir in the coconut milk and chopped cilantro and serve without delay.
If you wanted to, you could very well add a little bit of cooked rice or pasta to this, or even corn kernels, why not?
But I’m telling you, it’s plenty filling and satisfying just as it is right now. There isn’t a single doubt in my mind that you will wholeheartedly agree…
Coconut Lime Shrimp and Cod Chowder
Ingredients
- 2 lb large raw shrimp, peeled, cleaned and deveined
- 1.65 lb cod fillet, cut into 1" cubes
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/3 cup fresh lime juice
- 1/2 tsp salt, I use Himalayan salt
- 1/2 tsp ground black pepper
- 1 tsp red pepper flakes
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- 2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 1 large yellow onion, chopped
- 2 small red bell peppers, chopped
- 2 large ripe tomatoes, diced
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- 1/2 cup fish stock or clam juice
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- 2 tbsp tapioca starch
- 3 tbsp water
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- 1 cup full fat coconut milk
- 1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro
Instructions
- In a large bowl, combine the shrimp, cod fillet, garlic, lime juice, salt, pepper and chili pepper flakes; set aside, preferably in the refrigerator.
- Next, in a large 4½ quart Dutch oven or medium saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until just translucent and softened, about 2 minutes. Add the bell peppers and continue cooking for about 2 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened. Add the fish stock and cook for an additional minute.
- Add the shrimp and chunks of cod, along with their marinade, followed by the diced tomatoes and cook for about 8 to 10 minutes, stirring very delicately from time to time, until the shrimp and fish are just opaque throughout and the mixture has released plenty of liquid.
- Dilute the tapioca starch in the water and delicately stir that in the chowder; bring back to a simmer, cook for a full minute and then kill the heat.
- Delicately stir in the coconut milk and chopped cilantro and serve without delay.
Nutrition
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33 Comments on “Coconut Lime Shrimp and Cod Chowder”
Everything with coconut is delicious 🙂 and this one is also so quick to make! perfect 🙂
And this recipe makes me hungry! 🙂 Thank you for sharing.
Made this for dinner tonight; it was so good!! I substituted jalapeño peppers, since I’m not a fan of bell peppers, & added 2 habañero peppers for extra spice. Ended up the right mix of spicy and creamy—going to be making this a lot, it would be especially good if when you have a cold!
Must’ve been really nice and hot!!! I love your substitutions. Might have to try them for myself. Thanks for that, and for the awesome feedback! 🙂
Trying to gage how many this would serve? 6??
It says in the recipe card: 6
This chowder is so good! I added celery because I like the taste of celery with fish and carrots and snow peas to make a more chunky soup and added colour. I am not a fan of fishy fish taste so didn’t use the fish stock. Instead, I replaced the tomatoes and fish stock with a can of diced tomatoes. There was a delicate fish taste which, for me, was perfect.
Thank you, Linda! Glad you liked! 🙂
Oh, wow! I’m so excited to try this! So many paleo recipes use coconut sugar or other sweeteners just because they can; I’m happy to find something without sweeteners at all! I’m probably going to make this on Wednesday; I’ll come back and let you know how it was!
Okay, I made it tonight and it was delicious! My fish broke up when I stirred it (though I tried to do it “delicately”), but it was still tasty! I added a little bit of extra salt. Thanks for sharing your recipe!
I made this tonight and it was delicious! The only changes I made was I used a can of drained diced tomatoes instead of fresh and I used corn starch instead of tapioca. Turned out amazing and my husband loved it too! Will definitely make it again!!
That’s totally awesome, Jen! I’m super happy to hear, and thank you so very much for taking the time to share such fantastic feedback! You rock! 🙂
This was wonderful! Thank you for the recipe, the only thing we changed was adding clams and cutting the chilies flakes in half. Will definitely make again
Can you substitute corn starch for the tapioca starch ? Other than this recipe, I would have no reason to purchase tapioca starch. Is there a particular reason for using it?
Absolutely, Bonnie! Corn starch and tapioca starch are totally interchangeable. The reason for using tapioca over corn is that it is grain free.
I’m a little bit confused. How can it serve six if it only has a total of a cup and a half plus 3 tablespoons of liquid in it? Am I missing something?
I think you might have missed a couple of lines of text in the post, Jill!
So there’s a 1/2 cup of fish juice also but that’s all that is listed other than the cup of coconut milk and lime juice and 3 tbsp of water. I’m wondering how it serves 6 as well. Can you please provide what lines we are missing???
It’s all covered/explained at the very beginning of the post, Tami.
What can I use besides tapioca starch?
Any kind of starch will do!
I made this wonderful Chowder for dinner tonight and it’s perfect! I did add some fresh dill & chesapeake bay seasoning …Scrumptious!!
Thanks, Whisper! Happy to hear it was to your liking! 🙂
I added a can of corn with a can of diced tomatoes and then later added broccoli for amazing color. I used corn starch.
Yum! Love your additions! Thanks for the great feedback, Rich! 🙂
I made this for lunch today and I love it!! Thank you for this recipe, I will be making it again and again.
I am a Foodie and when I read the ingredients in this recipe, I just had to try it asap! It was fast and easy to make. The flavor is great and it even has a bit of a kick. It is delicious! 😋
I will definitely be making this again!
I made this today and it was delicious. I added corn and spinach. Instead of tomatoes I used fire roasted dice tomatoes. Wondering how long do it holds up in the fridge?
I added a diced potato, chopped jalapeños (didn’t have any red peppers and we like spicy), a tablespoon of organic chicken bouillon paste and instead of fish sauce I added a can of clams. It was delicious.
HI, This was incredible! 2 questions, how long can I keep it in the fridge after making and is it freezable? Thank you!
Fantastic recipe
Thank you this was so easy to make and had great flavor
For anyone questioning the liquid and how there won’t be enough, follow the recipe and it is plenty! A great chowder! The flavors all combine and compliment each other perfectly. I was going to make it similarly to how I make clam chowder, with a roux – but I’m so glad I didn’t and just stuck to the recipe because it’s perfect! I did use corn starch instead of tapioca which was a fine substitute.