Caldo de mariscos: what's in it, recipe and origin

What is it?

Caldo de mariscos is a coastal Mexican soup deeply rooted in the Gulf of Mexico and the Pacific, especially in Veracruz, Sinaloa, Nayarit, Sonora and Guerrero. Its base is a fish or dried-prawn broth flavoured with roasted tomato, guajillo chilli, garlic, onion and epazote or coriander. On this base a variety of seafood is cooked: head-on prawn, fish fillet, clams, octopus, mussels, sea snail and pieces of fresh fish. It is a hearty Sunday dish in coastal restaurants, seafood eateries and beachside palapas. It is served with lime, hot sauce or chiltepín, chopped onion, coriander and warm tortillas or tostadas. Larousse Cocina and México en mi Cocina document it as one of the most filling and festive broths of Mexican maritime cooking, comparable to northern menudo in its Sunday character. There are regional variants with very different personalities depending on the coast.

Origin and history

Caldo de mariscos in Mexico is a continuation of the pre-Hispanic traditions of using the resources of the sea combined with colonial techniques. Before the conquest, coastal peoples - Totonac, Huastec, Totorame, Yaqui - already ate fish and seafood broths boiled with epazote, tomato and chilli, according to the testimony gathered by Fray Bernardino de Sahagún in his General History of the Things of New Spain (sixteenth century). With the arrival of the Spanish, Mediterranean techniques of bouillabaisse and caldereta were added, along with dried prawn as an interchangeable ingredient when fresh is scarce. By the nineteenth century, caldo de mariscos was already a typical dish of the Veracruz ports (Veracruz, Tuxpan, Alvarado) and of the Mexican Pacific (Mazatlán, Manzanillo, San Blas). Cardamomo News documents two main strands: the Sinaloan, reddish, thick, with guajillo and ancho chilli, and the Veracruz, lighter, with tomato, epazote and mild dried chillies. The Mexican fishing industry - which produces more than a million and a half tonnes a year according to Conapesca - sustains the abundance that allows caldo de mariscos to be an everyday dish in coastal areas.

Characteristic ingredients

The base is fish broth or dried-prawn broth: the prawn heads and shells are lightly toasted and boiled with onion, garlic, bay leaf and coriander for 20 to 30 minutes, then strained. On this broth the soup is built: rehydrated guajillo chilli blended with roasted tomato, garlic and onion gives its characteristic red colour. Ancho chilli adds sweetness; chipotle, a smoky note in modern versions. The seafood is added according to cooking time: octopus and sea snail previously cooked; clams and mussels first (until they open); fish and prawn at the end (3-5 minutes) so as not to overcook. The epazote or coriander perfumes the broth. Some versions include potato and carrot; others leek. Regional variants: the 'siete mares' broth of Sinaloa includes seven types of seafood; the Veracruz chilpachole is thicker and is served with crab; the Nayarit caldo de mariscos uses dried prawn and is cooked with coriander. The classic accompaniment is lime, chopped white onion, chopped serrano chilli or chiltepín and tortillas or tostadas. In Sinaloa it is served with saltine crackers, a legacy of the regional 'mariscada'.

Cultural significance

Caldo de mariscos is an emblematic dish of Mexican coastal cooking and represents the economic livelihood of fishing communities of the Gulf and the Pacific. In Veracruz it appears in historic restaurants such as La Parroquia, Los Compadres and the palapas of Boca del Río and Mandinga; in Sinaloa, in the seafood markets of Mazatlán and Culiacán and in seafood eateries such as El Cangrejo Loco. The 2010 UNESCO declaration of traditional Mexican cuisine implicitly includes the coastal regional cuisines as part of the corpus that sustains national diversity. The tourism industry of the ports — Mazatlán, Veracruz, San Blas, Puerto Vallarta, Acapulco — sells caldo de mariscos as an essential gastronomic experience. It is also a dish for Lent and abstinence, especially important during Holy Week when meat is replaced. SAGARPA and Conapesca promote the national consumption of fish and seafood through the National Aquaculture and Fisheries Programme, and caldo de mariscos appears as a featured recipe in their campaigns. Chefs such as Aquiles Chávez, Gabriela Cámara and Lula Bertran have reinterpreted it on elegant menus.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between Veracruz and Sinaloan caldo de mariscos?

The Veracruz version is lighter and clearer: fish broth with tomato, epazote and mild dried chillies, with an emphasis on fresh prawn and fish. The Sinaloan is thicker and redder: it uses intense guajillo and ancho chilli, head-on prawn, clam, octopus and sometimes chipotle chilli. Both are festive and served on Sundays, but the Sinaloan tends to be spicier and more aromatic, the Veracruz more subtle.

What does caldo de mariscos taste like?

It tastes deeply of the sea, with sweet notes from the slowly cooked prawn, the saltiness of fresh fish and the umami of clams. The tomato and guajillo chilli broth adds acidity and colour; the epazote or coriander adds herbal freshness. When it includes chipotle chilli, there is smokiness. The lime added at serving heightens the marine flavours. It is robust, complex and festive, far from the subtle profile of a fish consommé.

How is caldo de mariscos served?

It is served very hot in a large bowl with the whole pieces of seafood visible — head-on prawn, clam in its shell, octopus in pieces, fish fillet. It is accompanied by lime, chopped white onion, serrano chilli or chiltepín, coriander and warm tortillas or tostadas. In Sinaloa it is customary to serve it with saltine crackers. It is a one-pot dish for a hearty meal, especially on Sundays or after a celebration as a restorative.

Where does caldo de mariscos come from?

It is native to the Mexican coasts, with two main hubs: Veracruz on the Gulf of Mexico and Sinaloa-Nayarit on the Pacific. It inherits pre-Hispanic techniques of fish and seafood broths described by Sahagún in the sixteenth century, fused with Spanish bouillabaisse and calderetas. By the nineteenth century it was already a typical dish of ports such as Veracruz and Mazatlán. Today it appears along all the Mexican coasts.