Parihuela (Peruvian Seafood Soup)
A hearty, deep-red Peruvian seafood soup built on a fish stock simmered with ají panca, ají amarillo and a splash of chicha de jora, loaded with fish, shrimp, squid, mussels and clams, and finished with plenty of cilantro and lime.
Servings
Ingredients
Nutrition
Per serving
Steps
Make the fish stock
Put the fish bones and head with the shrimp shells into a large pot (at least 5 litres) and add the water. Bring to a boil, skim off the foam, then simmer gently for 20 minutes. Strain and set the stock aside.
- 600 g fish bones and head
- 1.8 litres water
- shells from 250 g shrimp shrimp shells
✅ Done when: the stock tastes strongly of the sea and is clear after straining
Build the sofrito
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat and cook the onion and garlic for 5-6 minutes until soft and golden. Stir in the aji panca, aji amarillo and cumin, cook for 2 minutes, then add the grated tomato and cook for 5 minutes more.
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 red onion
- 4 cloves garlic
- 3 tbsp
- 1 tbsp
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tomatoes
✅ Done when: tomato darkens and smells sweet, not raw
Add stock and chicha
Pour in the fish stock and the , bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- all of the stock the fish stock from step 1
- 120 ml
- to taste salt and black pepper
✅ Done when: soup is fragrant and the flavors have melded
Cook the seafood in order
Keep the pot at a gentle simmer over medium-low heat. Add the fish chunks and simmer for 3 minutes, then add the squid and shrimp and cook 2 minutes more. Add the mussels and clams, cover and cook 3 minutes more until the shells open.
- 400 g fish fillet
- 250 g squid
- 250 g shrimp
- 300 g mussels
- 300 g clams
✅ Done when: shells have opened and the fish is opaque and cooked through; discard any unopened shellfish
Finish and serve
Stir in most of the chopped cilantro and adjust the salt to taste. Ladle into deep bowls, top with a sprig of or extra cilantro, and serve at once with lime wedges.
- most of 1 small bunch cilantro
- to taste salt
- 1 lime, in wedges
- 4 or cilantro sprigs
Make the fish stock
Put the fish bones and head with the shrimp shells into a large pot (at least 5 litres) and add the water. Bring to a boil, skim off the foam, then simmer gently for 20 minutes. Strain and set the stock aside.
- 600 g fish bones and head
- 1.8 litres water
- shells from 250 g shrimp shrimp shells
✅ Done when: the stock tastes strongly of the sea and is clear after straining
Build the sofrito
Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat and cook the onion and garlic for 5-6 minutes until soft and golden. Stir in the aji panca, aji amarillo and cumin, cook for 2 minutes, then add the grated tomato and cook for 5 minutes more.
- 4 tbsp vegetable oil
- 1 red onion
- 4 cloves garlic
- 3 tbsp
- 1 tbsp
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 2 tomatoes
✅ Done when: tomato darkens and smells sweet, not raw
Add stock and chicha
Pour in the fish stock and the , bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- all of the stock the fish stock from step 1
- 120 ml
- to taste salt and black pepper
✅ Done when: soup is fragrant and the flavors have melded
Cook the seafood in order
Keep the pot at a gentle simmer over medium-low heat. Add the fish chunks and simmer for 3 minutes, then add the squid and shrimp and cook 2 minutes more. Add the mussels and clams, cover and cook 3 minutes more until the shells open.
- 400 g fish fillet
- 250 g squid
- 250 g shrimp
- 300 g mussels
- 300 g clams
✅ Done when: shells have opened and the fish is opaque and cooked through; discard any unopened shellfish
Finish and serve
Stir in most of the chopped cilantro and adjust the salt to taste. Ladle into deep bowls, top with a sprig of or extra cilantro, and serve at once with lime wedges.
- most of 1 small bunch cilantro
- to taste salt
- 1 lime, in wedges
- 4 or cilantro sprigs
The Story Behind the Dish
Parihuela is said to have begun as a fisherman's soup, made right on the beach or dock with whatever fish and shellfish didn't sell that day, simmered together with onion, garlic and chile pastes. The name is thought to come from a type of wooden stretcher used by fishermen, though the exact story has blurred with time.
Over the generations it moved from the shore into coastal kitchens and restaurants, where cooks enriched it with a proper fish stock and a splash of chicha de jora, the fermented corn drink, which adds a faint sweetness and acidity that balances the ají.
⭐ Why It's Famous
It's considered Peru's answer to bouillabaisse: a rich, spicy, deeply savory soup that showcases the extraordinary seafood of the Peruvian coast and is often credited with reviving tired spirits, including a reputed cure for hangovers.
💡 Fun Fact
Many Peruvian cooks like to add a splash of chicha de jora at the very end, believing it should go in just before eating so its aroma doesn't cook away.
Northern coast of Peru
-8.11°S, -79.03°W
Related recipes
Comments (0)
No comments yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!