Description
You'll love this quick and easy Mediterranean shrimp soup with vegetables, aromatics, and fresh herbs, including parsley and dill! Fresh lemon juice is the perfect finishing touch to this flavor-packed shrimp soup.
Be sure to read the post for tips and additional information.
Ingredients
Scale
- 8 oz Sea Scallops, side muscles removed (optional)
- Salt and black pepper
- Extra virgin olive oil (I used Private Reserve Greek extra virgin olive oil)
- 1 1/2 lb shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 green bell pepper, cored, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, cored, chopped
- 1 medium yellow onion, chopped
- 6 garlic cloves, peeled, minced
- 3 tbsp tomato paste
- 1 tbsp dried oregano, divided
- 7 cup low-sodium broth (vegetable or chicken)
- 3 large tomatoes, diced (canned diced tomato will work as well)
- 1 cup orzo pasta (whole wheat pasta preferred)
- 6 oz baby spinach
- 1 cup chopped fresh parsley leaves
- 1 cup chopped fresh dill, stems removed
- 1 lemon, juice of
- Crushed red pepper flakes, optional
Instructions
- If using scallops, pat them dry and season with salt and pepper.
- In a cast iron skillet, heat 1 tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Gently add the sea scallops. Sear for about 1 1/2 minutes on each side. Scallops should form a golden brown crust. Sprinkle a large pinch of dried oregano. Transfer to a dish and set aside for now.
- To the same cast iron skillet, add a little more extra virgin olive oil if needed. Again heat over medium-high until shimmering but not smoking. Add the shrimp; sear for about 2 minutes on both sides. You want to see some pink, but don't worry about fully cooking it (you will finish cooking it in the soup.) Remove from the heat and sprinkle a generous pinch of dried oregano.
- In a medium heavy cooking pot, heat 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil on medium-high. Add the chopped peppers, onions, garlic, tomato paste, salt and the remaining dried oregano. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Add the diced tomatoes. Cook on medium-high for 3-5 more minutes.
- When the liquid returns to a boil, add the orzo pasta. Turn heat down to medium and cook for 8 minutes until orzo is tender.
- Stir in the baby spinach, parsley, dill, and lemon juice.
- Finally, stir in the scallops and shrimp to warm through (about 1 to 2 minutes.) Taste and adjust seasoning to your liking. Add crushed red pepper flakes for some heat, if you like. Serve with your favorite crusty bread.
Notes
- Shrimp Soup Variations: You can make a few changes to this recipe such as adding a fish of choice. I like cod, halibut or sea bass fillet. Cut the fish into smaller chunks and add it into the soup about 4 minutes or so after you add the orzo, and let the fish cook for 4 to 5 minutes until firm, then finish the soup as indicated. You can also change up the herbs (basil and chives will work well.) Use additional veggies like diced zucchini or yellow squash (you'll want to add those earlier with the bell peppers, onions and garlic.)
- Leftovers and Storage: If you end up with leftovers, keep refrigerated in a tight-lid glass container for 2 days. When it comes to seafood, best to eat fresh. To reheat, you may need to add more broth to the pot as the orzo will have likely absorbed a lot of the liquid. Heat on stovetop over medium heat till warmed through. It may help a bit to remove the shrimp from the soup while it heats, then stir it in last minute to avoid overcooking it. Don’t let the soup simmer too long, or you will overcook the shrimp (or other seafood you may have used.)
- Recommended for this Recipe: Our Private Reserve Greek extra virgin olive oil (from organically grown and processed Koroneiki olives!)
- Visit our shop to browse our spices, olive oils and bundles!
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 25 mins
- Category: Entree
- Method: Stove-top
- Cuisine: Mediterranean