Greek Fish Soup with Avgolemono (Ψαρόσουπα Αυγολέμονο) is a flavorful and comforting dish. It combines fresh fish with the creamy, tangy avgolemono sauce. This dish reflects Greece’s rich culinary traditions, especially its strong coastal influence and access to fresh seafood.
About the Recipe
My wonderful wife and her family come from the Greek island of Crete. This Cretan version of Fish Soup adds a twist to the classic Greek recipe. First, you boil the fish with vegetables. Then, you mash some of the vegetables into the soup and add rice for a creamy texture. The soup finishes with the signature Egg-Lemon (avgolemono) sauce, creating a rich, velvety flavor. Serve the fish with the remaining vegetables and drizzle Ladolemono sauce over the top.
This soup offers a flavorful alternative to traditional Fried Cod with Garlic Sauce (Skordalia) or Fish Plaki, dishes often served on special occasions like Greek Independence Day.
Facts about Greek Fish Soup with Avgolemono
Avgolemono sauce, made by whisking eggs and lemon juice, adds a tangy, smooth finish to the soup. You can use fish like sea bass, cod, or grouper. The vegetables, including potatoes, carrots, celery, onions, and tomatoes, balance the dish perfectly. Some versions may include shellfish, offering additional flavor variations.
Greek Fish Soup has long been a staple in coastal regions. It highlights the country’s love for fresh ingredients and simple, delicious cooking. This dish has become a symbol of Greek hospitality, bringing people together around the table to share a meal.
Enjoy this recipe as it celebrates both the flavors of the sea and the warmth of Greek traditions!
Fish Soup With Egg-Lemon (Avgolemono Sauce)
Equipment
- 1 pierced ladle
- 1 fine mesh strainer
- 1 Hand blender
Ingredients
Fish Soup Base
- 1250 gr Cod, Sea Bass or Sea Bream, or any whole fish gutted and descaled at the fish market
- 600 gr potatoes cleaned, cut in thick chunks
- 250 gr carrots medium sized, halved
- 2 medium onions roughly chopped
- 4 celery stalks with leaves halved
- 2 medium tomatoes fresh, ripe tomatoes cut in 4ths
- 3 bay Leaves
- 1/3 cup carolina rice
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 liters water 8 cups
- salt and pepper
Oil-lemon (Ladolemono Sauce)
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 50 ml lemon juice 3 1/2 tablepoons (1 1/2 lemon)
- 1 tbsp yellow mustard
Egg Lemon (Avgolemono Sauce)
- 3 large eggs room temp
- 1/2 cup lemon juice (from 2-3 large lemons)
Instructions
Prepare the Fish and cut all Vegetables
- Clean your fish if needed. My 2 fish were already gutted and descaled at the fish market. Don’t remove their heads even if you don’t eat them, they need to stay on to give extra flavor to the soup.
- Wash your fish under cold, running water.
- Place both fish in a large bowl and pat dry them.
- Rub them with lemon juice and place some lemon wedges inside their openings. That’s to remove some of the fish smell.
- Cover the dish with plastic wrap and store in the fridge about 2 hours.
- Cut all vegetables (carrots, potatoes, celery, onions and tomatoes and place them in a large bowl, cover the bowl with plastic wrap and set aside.
Boil the Fish and Vegetables
- Fill a large deep pot with 2 lt.(8 cups water).
- Turn on the heat to medium high heat.
- When water starts to boil, place first carrots, potatoes, celery, onions and tomatoes, and boil for about 10 minutes
- Add the bay leaves.
- Pour the olive oil in the pot and season with ground salt and pepper.
- Bring the tray with fish from the fridge and remove the lemon wedges.
- Lower the heat to simmer and gently add the 2 fish in the pot that you are boiling the vegetables.
- Let fish simmer together with the vegetables for about 20' or until their eyes pop out (that's how you know when fish is cooked through).
- Do not stir the soup!
Make the ladolemono (olive oil and lemon) sauce
- While waiting for the fish to boil, make the ladolemono sauce.
- Pour the fresh lemon juice (should be around 50 ml) into a small bowl with the olive oil, add the mustard and a bit of salt and whisk until the sauce becomes creamy and thick. Set the bowl aside.
Continue with making the fish soup
- After 20', the fish should be boiled. Use a pierced ladle to lift both fish gently, placing them onto a large serving platter.
- Turn off the heat.
- Take out all the boiled vegetables as well. Place 2/3 of the vegetables around the fish on the large serving platter. Set the remaining 1/3 aside.
- Next, pour the soup through a strainer, into a new pot to ensure no fish bones are left in it.
- Place the remaining 1/3 of the vegetables into the pot of strained soup. Make sure to remove any leftover fish bones.
- Using a hand blender, mash the vegetables in the soup until velvety smooth.
- Reheat the thick soup on medium heat and add the rice.
- Season it with ground salt and pepper, to taste.
- Lower heat and simmer rice for about 15’.
Prepare the Avgolemono (egg-lemon) sauce
- While waiting for the rice to boil, make the avgolemono.
- Squeeze lemons.
- Crack the eggs in a bowl and whisk them.
- Pour the lemon juice in the beaten eggs and whisk to incorporate it.
Finishing the Soup
- When rice is cooked, turn off the heat. Allow the soup to cool before adding to the avgolemono. About 10 – 15 minutes.
- Add the warm soup a ladle at a time into the egg-lemon mixture to help raise its temperature. Whisk well to incorporate.
- Repeat by pouring ladle after ladle of hot soup into the egg-lemon sauce mixture until it gradually warms up! Be patient with this process!
- Tip: Failing to bring the temperature of the eggs up will result in them curdling when pouring back in the soup.
- Now pour the Avgolemono sauce into the soup. This sauce will give the soup its creamy consistency and extra lemony flavor!!
- Mix everything by gently stirring the soup.
- Now simmer the soup for a couple more minutes over very low heat.
- Turn off the heat.
- The wonderful soup is ready.
Serving Suggestion
- Serve the soup immediately while hot!
- When ready to serve, pour some of the Ladolemono sauce over the vegetables and fish. Leave the rest of this sauce on the table for anyone who would like to add extra.
- Accompany with the boiled fish and vegetables as main course.
- An amazing, creamy Greek Soup with velvety, luscious consistency!
- Tip: To serve to kids, you could clean the fish and add it into their bowl of soup. Your kids will love the soup’s velvety texture and they will finally eat some fish!
