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5.0 from 12 votes

Portuguese Bread Soup with Shrimp

This Portuguese bread soup with shrimp, or açorda de mariscos, is a satiating meal made from shrimp, sausage, tomatoes, onions, and Portuguese cornbread.

Prep Time
30 mins
Cook Time
1 hr
Total Time
1 hr 30 mins
Servings: 4 servings
Calories: 909 kcal
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: Portuguese

Ingredients

  • 1 pound (about 1/2 loaf) dried-out broa (Portuguese cornbread) or any stale rustic loaf of bread
  • 2 large onions or leeks
  • 2/3 cup olive oil
  • 4 pounds tomatoes
  • 1 whole head garlic separated into cloves and peeled
  • 1 teaspoon black peppercorns
  • 1 teaspoon coriander seeds
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1 pound raw jumbo shrimp shelled or not, depending on what you please
  • 4 ounces chouriço or chorizo roughly sliced (optional)
  • 1 tablespoon anchovy paste or 2 to 3 canned anchovy fillets, crushed (optional)
  • A small pat butter (optional)
  • Plenty of chopped cilantro leaves

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Tear the bread into bite-sized pieces. Place them in a bowl and add enough salted water to cover. Let it stand at room temperature for a couple of hours.
  2. While the bread soaks, thinly slice the onions or leeks and heat them gently in a large skillet over medium heat with 1/3 cup of the olive oil, stirring occasionally, until softened and golden, 30 minutes or so.
  3. Meanwhile, roughly chop the tomatoes, toss them in a large, roomy pot over medium heat with the rest of the olive oil and the garlic, and let them cook down until they're about half the original volume.
  4. Crush the peppercorns and coriander seeds in a mortar and add them to the tomatoes in the pot along with the oregano. Push the tomatoes through a strainer and return them to the pot. 
  5. Then use your hands to squeeze the bread dry. Stir the soaked, squeezed-out bread, and 4 cups cold water to the tomatoes in the pot. Let it bubble up and cook gently for another 20 minutes, then stir in the onion or leeks and their cooking oil along with the shrimp, the sliced chouriço, if using, and the anchovies, if using (the anchovies really accentuate the seafood flavor)
  6. Cook the soup for another 20 minutes, until the bread is perfectly amalgamated into—you know, melded with—the broth. Stir in a pat of butter, if desired, and finish with a liberal scattering of fresh chopped cilantro.

Nutrition Information

Serving 1portion Calories 909kcal (45%) Carbohydrates 82g (27%) Protein 38g (76%) Fat 49g (75%) Saturated Fat 9g (45%) Monounsaturated Fat 27g Trans Fat 1g Cholesterol 164mg (55%) Sodium 1749mg (73%) Fiber 12g (48%) Sugar 21g (42%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 4servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 909

% Daily Value*

Serving 1portion
Calories 909kcal 45%
Carbohydrates 82g 27%
Protein 38g 76%
Fat 49g 75%
Saturated Fat 9g 45%
Monounsaturated Fat 27g 135%
Trans Fat 1g 50%
Cholesterol 164mg 55%
Sodium 1749mg 73%
Fiber 12g 48%
Sugar 21g 42%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.