Pilar's Chilean Food & Garden

A recipe blog by a Chilean living in the USA

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Paila Marina or Chilean Seafood Soup is a traditional meal enjoyed year around on many small towns doting the long Pacific Ocean coast.
Chilean Seafood Soup Caldillo de Mariscos

What is Paila Marina?

It is one of the most traditional soups consumed in Chile on the coast, also popular in the Mercados (Central Markets) to recover after a long night of partying. Paila Marina can be made with any shellfish and fish available that day.
Their raw cousin is the Mariscal.

In the USA, I use the mix of seafood they sell at Costco or in supermarkets in the frozen products.

Typically Paila Marina doesn’t include potatoes, but I grow up in a potato-lover family. If you want to be authentic, just omit them from the recipe.

You may also like the recipe: Chilean Chicken Cazuela.

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Paila Marina Chilean Seafood Soup

★★★★

4 from 1 reviews
Print Recipe

A comforting soup.

  • Total Time: 50 minutes
  • Yield: 6

Ingredients

Units
  • 1 medium onion
  • 2 potatoes, optional
  • 1/2 red pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon of paprika powder
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 1 teaspoon of dried oregano
  • 1 pound firm white fish or salmon
  • 1 pound of shrimp
  • 1 pound of fresh (or frozen) mussels or 250 g of canned mussels
  • 1/2 pound of squid rings (calamari)
  • 3/4 white wine cup
  • 5 cups broth of fish or vegetables
  • Oil, salt, and pepper

Instructions

  1. Wash the mussels carefully (if you use fresh mussels).
  2. Cut the onion, peel the potatoes, chop them into wedges, and cut the red pepper into cubes. Cut the fish into cubes.
  3. In a large pot, heat 1 tbsp oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, pepper, oregano, bay leaf, paprika, salt, and pepper, and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
    Onion and potatoes for seafood soup onion and pepper for caldillo
  4. Add the potatoes, wine, and broth. Cook until it boils, then reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Add the fish and mussels. Cook for another 5 minutes. Discard any mussel that hasn’t opened. Fish and potatoes should be cooked.
    Scallops and potatoes for caldillo
  5. Add the shrimp and squid. Cook until the shrimp changes color.
    Caldillo ready on pot
  6. Serve hot, sprinkle with chopped parsley and accompany with lemon wedges.
    Chilean Seafood Soup, Caldillo de mariscos
  • Author: Pilar Hernandez
  • Prep Time: 20 minutes
  • Cook Time: 30 minutes
  • Category: Soup
  • Method: Stove
  • Cuisine: Chilean

Nutrition

  • Serving Size:
  • Calories: 395
  • Sugar: 4.3 g
  • Sodium: 1233.9 mg
  • Fat: 7.2 g
  • Saturated Fat: 1.3 g
  • Carbohydrates: 29 g
  • Fiber: 3.6 g
  • Protein: 46.9 g

Keywords: Chilean seafood soup, caldillo de pescado y mariscos, paila marina

Chilean Seafood Soup


The Chilean Kitchen*




 

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About Pilar Hernandez

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  1. Herta Davila

    I love thids soup we are making it today and it smells delicious. Thank for posting these and your other recipes. I need to make the meatballs.
    Gracias!

    Reply

  2. Maureen Smith

    The above recipe looks exactly like the soup my Chilean neighbour cooks for me and which is delicious. She told me to look up the receipe on the internet which I did…..and I intend to make it and will let you know how it turns out (I shall get her to try it also.) many thanks Maureen Smith.

    Reply

  3. Herta Davila

    Hola Pilar, Here sin Toronto is ver y cold and gloomy this time of thr year, so I intentend to make this soup again for New Year’s Eve (just forma my husband and myself no children, no grandchildren) with a pisco sour and maybe champagne. Wish me luck.
    Saludos!
    Feliz Año Nuevo para tí y tu familia!!

    Reply

  4. Herta Davila

    Hola Pilar! Voy a hacer esta caldillo para Año Nuevo, con un rico pisco sour y vino blanco, mi marido y yo vamos a estar sólidos, no niños, no nietos
    Me encantan tus recetas. Gracias por compartirlas.
    Te encuentro muy parecida a mi hija en tu forma de ser.
    Esta haciendo harto frío aquí en mi Toronto, ha llegado a -16 y después sube un poco.
    Con mucho cariño. Un abrazo y Felices Fiestas con tu familia.
    Herta

    Reply

  6. Iliana MsLily Rodriguez

    I’m sorry but these were terrible instructions.. you forgot to mention when to add the oregano and the bay leaf which are very important for taste. The measurements on the amount of broth was not enough for the amount of fish to put in the soup. Threw the home recipe off. Smh

    Reply

    • Pilar Hernandez

      I’m sorry it didn’t work for you. You can always add more broth, some families like abundant broth others a lot less. As long as you adjust the seasoning you will be fine. I added the specific instructions for the oregano and bay leaf. Thank you.

      Reply

  7. Pamela

    Thanks sooooo much for the recipe. !!! I love caldillo but i wasn’t sure about ingredients and how to cook this wondefull plate reminds me childhood in chile….thanks so much !!

    Reply

  8. Isabel

    Hi Pilar, I have made this soup (Caldillo) twice and my whole family and myself LOVED IT.

    Many thanks, for sharing your recipes with us.

    Isabel J

    ★★★★

    Reply