Caldo Santo, Puerto Rican Coconut Seafood Soup

Caldo santo served in a bowl with tostones.

5 from 1 vote

Caldo Santo, Puerto Rican Coconut Seafood Soup

Caldo Santo, or Puerto Rican Coconut Seafood Soup, is a creamy coconut seafood soup enjoyed in Puerto Rico during Lent. Its silky broth, made with coconut milk, yautía, ñame, sofrito, and herbs, is rich and fragrant. Each spoonful reflects Taíno, African, and Spanish influences in a comforting coastal dish.

Prep Time15

Cook Time1

Total Time1 15

Course: Soup, Stews and Soups

Cuisine: Puerto Rican

Cooking Technique: deglazing, sauteing, searing

Servings: servings

Calories: 380kcal

Author: Zoé Forestier

Equipment

1 stock pot

Ingredients

2 tablespoon achiote oil
1 onion peeled and dice
1 tablespoon garlic paste
2 tablespoon sofrito
1 tablespoon sazon
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon black pepper
2 cups fish broth
2 cans coconut milk 4 cups fresh coconut milk
1 malanga or to taste
1 yautia or to taste
1 plantain or to taste
1 cup calabaza
1 lbs mero/grouper no skin, no bones, cut into bite-sizes
1 lbs shrimp peeled and deveined (save the shells if available to saute at the beginning of the recipe)
1 lbs crab meat

Instructions

Saute shrimp shells in a little bit of olive oil. Doing this step infuses the oil with shrimp flavor.
Once the shrimp shells turn pink, add achiote oil and saute for another minute.
Remove the shrimp shells from the pot and discard.
Add onions and adjust the oil if needed. Saute onions until translucent.
Once onions are translucent, add sofrito and garlic paste. Cook for about a minute. Sauteeing the sofrito and the garlic paste enhances the depth of flavor in the soup.
Add coconut milk.
Let the coconut milk come to a simmer to infuse the coconut milk with the flavor of the sofrito.
Add seasonings and bay leaf. Let cook for about a minute or two.
While the flavors mingle in the pot, peel and cut your root vegetables: yautia, malanga, and plantain. Place the cut vegetables in a bowl with water to keep them from oxidizing.
Rinse the root vegetables, drain, and add to the simmering pot.
Add calabaza. My calabaza was frozen, so I waited to add it, but if you have raw calabaza, add it with the root vegetables. Cook the vegetables for about 10 to 15 minutes. Taste broth and adjust seasoning if needed.
Add the fish and shrimp. Cook for an additional five to minutes. This process will be very quick since seafood and fish cook relatively quick.
If your crabmeat is cooked, add the crabmeat right at the very end of cooking. If you buy lump crabmeat (very delicious, but more expensive) do not mix the soup too much so not to break the lumps and save a few as garnish for your plate. If the crabmeat is raw, cook the soup for about five more minutes after adding.
Test a piece of fish. I stopped cooking it once the fish started flaking, but it still did not fall apart.

Notes

Top Tip: Use Fresh Coconut Milk-If you Can

Grating and squeezing a fresh coconut gives the broth a richer flavor.

Don’t skip sofrito: it’s the heart of the flavor.
Cut the root veggies evenly: To cook at the same rate and don’t get mushy.
Let the broth simmer slowly: To build depth—rush it, and you’ll miss out on flavor.
Add fish last: So as to not overcook it or fall apart.
Taste as you go: Coconut milk can mellow things out, so adjust salt and seasonings near the end.
Use a firm fish: Snapper or grouper—they hold up better in the broth.
Garnish with fresh cilantro or culantro: Before serving for a pop of freshness.

Nutrition