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    You are here: Home / Soups / Caldo de Camarón

    Caldo de Camarón

    Douglas Cullen, This blog generates income via ads and affiliate links which earn us a small commission.

    Mexican Shrimp Soup

    If you’ve ever tasted Mexican Shrimp Soup (or Caldo de Camarón), you know what Sundays in Mexico taste like. Just ask our creative director, Andrés. He tells the story about how his mom, whose specialty was caldos or soups, would make shrimp soup, fish soup (caldo de pescado) and the famous pancita or menudo soups (both made from tripe) that are so popular in certain regions of Mexico.

    She would make soup every Sunday, even in the middle of summer! Her theory was that drinking something hot on a hot day—like shrimp soup—regulates your body temperature, making you feel cool. Andrés swears that it’s true! More than tasty, this shrimp soup recipe can cool you off on a hot day!

    Bowl of Mexican Shrimp Soup Caldo de Camarón

    What to Expect from this Mexican Shrimp Soup Recipe

    This Mexican shrimp soup brings together fresh shrimp, dried shrimp, guajillo and cascabel chilis, and tender vegetables all in one spicy bowl of comfort food. The dried shrimp adds a distinct salty flavor to this dish, which you can have as an appetizer or a complete entrée.

    Shrimp Soup a la Mexicana

    The ingredients in our shrimp soup are similar to the Thai version, which uses bell pepper, vegetable broth, coconut milk and cilantro. But of course, it has an entirely different taste. The chili base, made with guajillo and cascabel chilis, makes our recipe uniquely Mexican and uniquely flavorful. A squeeze of fresh lime juice and a sprinkle of onions will send your taste buds soaring!

    Mexican Shrimp Soup with Bread

    How to Make Caldo de Camarón

    Ingredients

    For the Soup

    • 1 lb tomatoes
    • ½ white onion
    • 2 cloves garlic
    • 3 lbs Cambray potatoes, unpeeled
    • 1 branch epazote
    • 2 lbs fresh shrimp
    • 1 lb dried shrimp (camarón seco) (small or medium)
    • 8 guajillo chilis
    • 1 cascabel chili
    • 1 ½ cups carrots, peeled and diced
    • 1 to 2 bay leaves
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil or other cooking oil
    • 1 tablespoon dry oregano
    • 6 cups of water
    • Salt and black pepper to taste

    Ingredients for Mexican Shrimp Soup

    For the Garnish

    • Limes
    • Onion, finely diced
    • Oregano

    Caldo de Camarón Garnish

    It’s time to make some Mexican shrimp soup!

    Soak the Chilis

    To create a flavorful base for our soup, we’ll need to soak the guajillo and cascabel chilis. While ground, dried chilis make powerful spices, soaking chilis takes off some of the heat to provide a smoother-tasting broth.

    Start by washing the chilis. Cut off the tops and then slice lengthwise. Cut off the veins and remove the seeds. These are the hottest parts of the chili. Discard tops, veins and seeds.

    Guajillo and Cascabel Chilis

    Fill a sauce pan with water. Over medium heat, soak the chili peppers for 15 minutes.Soaking Guajillo Chili Peppers

    The chilis will go from brittle to soft, and will take on a deep red color. Once the chilis have soaked, remove them from the pot into a separate bowl and reserve the water.

    Soaking Guajillo Chilis Make the Broth

    Place the onion, tomato and garlic in a pot on the stovetop with water and bring to a boil.

    Tomato Onion Garlic on Stovetop

    As you cook, you’ll see the skin of the tomatoes begin to peel away. Once the vegetables have changed color and softened, remove from the heat and drain the vegetables.

    Boiling Tomato, Onion and Garlic

    Add the tomato, onion, garlic and chilis to your blender. Pour in some of the reserved water from the soaked chilis to make blending easier. Take a look at the beautiful color of those chilis!

    Shrimp Soup Ingredients in Blender

    Purée for about a minute to a minute and a half until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a separate bowl and reserve.

    Blended Shrimp Soup

    Prepare the Veggies

    Wash and dice the Cambray potatoes into ½-inch to 1-inch pieces. Do not peel! Most of the nutrients from the potato is just under the skin, so keeping it on makes for a healthier soup and adds a little flavor and texture lift.

    Diced Cambray Potatoes

    Peel the carrots (or zanahorias) and dice into ¼-inch pieces.

    Diced Carrots - Zanahorias

    Perfectly diced veggies!

    Diced Carrots and Cambray Potatoes

    Grind the Dried Shrimp (Camarón Seco)

    For this shrimp soup recipe, we’ll grind the heads only of the dried shrimp, and add the body to the soup in a later step. First, remove the heads of the dried shrimp by gently pulling and twisting with your fingers.

    Dried Shrimp Camarón Seco

    Place the heads only into the blender.

    Dried Shrimp Heads in Blender

    Ground the heads to a fine powder.

    Ground Dried Shrimp Heads in Blender

    Make the Soup

    Heat the cooking oil in a soup pot over high heat. Then add the potatoes to the pot.

    Adding Cambray Potatoes to Soup Pot

    Reduce to medium-high heat and stir the potatoes constantly so they don’t stick to the bottom.

    Stirring Cambray Potatoes on Stovetop

    Add the diced carrots.

    Adding Diced Carrots to Potatoes in Pot

    Continue to stir. Sauté vegetables for two minutes over medium-high heat.

    Carrots and Cambray Potatoes on Stovetop

    Using a fine mesh sieve, slowly strain the chili mixture into the soup pot with the veggies. You can use a spoon to stir the mixture inside the sieve to make it drain faster. Discard the contents of the sieve.

    Adding Shrimp Soup Mixture to Pot

    Cook the broth for about three minutes, stirring occasionally.

    Shrimp Soup Broth on Stovetop

    Add 6 cups of water to the broth and bring to a boil.

    Pouring Water into Shrimp Soup Broth

    Sprinkle in the ground shrimp heads and stir.

    Adding Dried Shrimp to Shrimp Soup Broth

    Add the bay leaves.

    Adding Bay Leaves to Shrimp Soup Broth

    Add salt to taste. Be sure not to add too much salt because the dried shrimp is already very salty. If you need more salt, you should add it just before the soup is ready.

    Adding Salt to Shrimp Soup Broth

    Sprinkle in the oregano.

    Adding Oregano to Caldo de Camarón

    Then the dried shrimp.

    Adding Dried Shrimp to Caldo de Camarón

    If foam forms on the surface, skim it off with a spoon and discard to ensure you get the cleanest broth possible.

    Skimming Foam from Shrimp Soup

    Sprinkle in the black pepper.

    Adding Pepper to Caldo de Camarón

    Add the epazote.

    Adding Epazote to Shrimp Soup

    Keep watching the foam. If more rises up, skim it off!

    Skimming Foam from Caldo de Camaron

    Add the fresh shrimp prawns, shrimp shells and all!

    Adding Fresh Shrimp to Broth

    Bring to a boil, cover, and cook for 10 minutes. When you can easily pierce the carrots and potatoes with a fork, your caldo de camarón is ready!

    Cooking Caldo de Camarón

    Be still my heart. This looks delicioso! (That’s “delicious” in Spanish). I could eat this shrimp soup right out of the pot!

    Mexican Shrimp Soup on Stovetop

    Serving Mexican Shrimp Soup

    Serve this delicious shrimp soup with a squeeze of fresh lime juice, a sprinkle of onions and a chunk of crusty bread or warm corn tortillas.

    Mexican Shrimp Soup with Lime and Onion

    ¡El Mejor Caldo de Camarón! (The Best Shrimp Soup!)

    This is the best shrimp soup you’ll ever taste, and the perfect meal to wrap up your weekend. Whether you’re eating it for the first time or the thirty-first, we’re sure you’ll love it as much as we do!

     

    Mexican Shrimp Soup
    Print Pin
    4 from 4 votes

    Caldo de Camarón Recipe

    This Mexican shrimp soup brings together fresh shrimp, dried shrimp, guajillo and cascabel chilis, and tender vegetables all in one spicy bowl of comfort food.
    Course Soup
    Cuisine Mexican
    Keyword Mexican shrimp soup
    Total Time 45 minutes minutes
    Servings 8 people
    Author Andrés Carnalla

    Equipment

    • Cutting board
    • Blender
    • Sauce pan
    • Soup pan
    • Bowls
    • Kitchen knife
    • Spoon
    • Fine mesh sieve

    Ingredients

    The Soup

    • 1 lb roma tomatoes
    • ½ white onion
    • 2 cloves garlic
    • 3 lbs Cambray potatoes, unpeeled diced in ½ to 1-inch cubes
    • 1 branch epazote
    • 2 lbs fresh shrimp cleaned and deveined
    • 1 lb dried shrimp small or medium, with heads on
    • 8 guajillo chilis
    • 1 cascabel chili
    • 1 ½ cups carrots peeled and diced
    • 1-2 bay leaves
    • 1 tablespoon olive oil or other cooking oil
    • 1 tablespoon dry oregano
    • 6 cups water
    • Salt and pepper to taste

    The Garnish

    • Limes halved
    • Onions finely diced
    • Oregano

    Instructions

    Soak the Chilis

    • To create a flavorful base for our soup, we’ll need to soak the guajillo and cascabel chilis. While ground, dried chilis make powerful spices, soaking chilis takes off some of the heat to provide a smoother-tasting broth.
    • Start by washing the chilis. Cut off the tops and then slice lengthwise. Cut off the veins and remove the seeds. These are the hottest parts of the chili. Discard tops, veins and seeds.
    • Fill a sauce pan with water. Over medium heat, soak the chili peppers for 15 minutes.
    • The chilis will go from brittle to soft, and will take on a deep red color. Once the chilis have soaked, remove them from the pot into a separate bowl and reserve the water.

    Make the Broth

    • Place the onion, tomato and garlic in a pot on the stovetop with water and bring to a boil.
    • As you cook, you’ll see the skin of the tomatoes begin to peel away. Once the vegetables have changed color and softened, remove from the heat and drain the vegetables.
    • Add the tomato, onion, garlic and chilis to your blender. Pour in some of the reserved water from the soaked chilis to make blending easier.
    • Purée for about a minute to a minute and a half until smooth. Transfer the mixture to a separate bowl and reserve.

    Prepare the Veggies

    • Wash and dice the Cambray potatoes into ½-inch to 1-inch pieces. Do not peel! Most of the nutrients from the potato is just under the skin, so keeping it on makes for a healthier soup and adds a little flavor and texture lift.
    • Peel the carrots and dice into ¼-inch pieces.

    Grind the Dried Shrimp

    • For this shrimp soup recipe, we’ll grind the heads only of the dried shrimp, and add the body to the soup in a later step. First, remove the heads of the dried shrimp by gently pulling and twisting with your fingers.
    • Place the heads only into the blender.
    • Ground the heads to a fine powder.

    Make the Soup

    • Heat the cooking oil in a soup pot over high heat. Then add the potatoes to the pot.
    • Reduce to medium-high heat and stir the potatoes constantly so they don’t stick to the bottom.
    • Add the diced carrots and continue to stir.
    • Sauté vegetables for two minutes over medium-high heat.
    • Using a fine mesh sieve, slowly strain the chili mixture into the soup pot with the veggies. You can use a spoon to stir the mixture inside the sieve to make it drain faster. Discard the contents of the sieve.
    • Cook the broth for about three minutes, stirring occasionally.
    • Add 6 cups of water to the broth and bring to a boil.
    • Add in the ground shrimp heads, bay leaves and salt to taste. Don't add too much salt. The dried shrimp is already very salty. If you need more salt, add it just before the soup is ready.
    • Add the oregano, dried shrimp, black pepper and epazote and continue cooking. If foam forms on the surface, skim it off with a spoon and discard to ensure you get the cleanest broth possible.
    • Add the fresh shrimp prawns, shrimp shells and all!
    • Bring to a boil, cover, and cook for 10 minutes. When you can easily pierce the carrots and potatoes with a fork, your shrimp soup is ready!

    Serve Your Soup

    • Serve this delicious shrimp soup with a squeeze of fresh lime juice, a sprinkle of onions and a chunk of crusty bread or warm corn tortillas.

    Notes

    Substitutions and Additions
    • Green onion for white onion.
    • Cilantro for epazote, although the taste will slightly change.
    • Sweet potatoes for Cambray potatoes.
    • Add in chipotle for a smoky flavor.
    • Include other fresh vegetables like zucchini.
    • Throw in some scallops for an even heartier seafood soup.
    • Spice it up with sliced jalapeños, cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes.

     

     More Mexican Soup Recipes

    • Caldo de Pollo con Arroz (Chicken Broth with Rice)
    • Potato Soup
    • Chicken Tortilla Soup
    • Lentil Soup
    • Carrot and Zucchini Soup

    More Mexican Soup Recipes

    • Bowl of Mexican Chicken Soup Caldo de Pollo
      Caldo de Pollo con Arroz
    • Bowl of Mexican Lentil Soup
      Lentil Soup
    • Bowl of Authentic Chicken Tortilla Soup
      Chicken Tortilla Soup
    • Bowl of Traditional Mexican Sopa de Fideo
      Traditional Sopa de Fideo

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    Hola, I am Douglas. Let me share my love of Mexican Cuisine with you that developed over 20+ years of living in Mexico.

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