Authentic Portuguese Bread Soup with Shrimp (Açorda de Mariscos)

Recipe by David Leite

For the bread, choose a good quality loaf that will absorb the rich flavors:

• 1 pound (about 1/2 loaf) dried-out broa (Portuguese cornbread), or any stale rustic loaf of bread
• 2 large onions or leeks, for a sweet aromatic base
• 2/3 cup olive oil, a staple in Portuguese cooking
• 4 pounds ripe tomatoes, providing the rich, acidic backbone
• 1 whole head garlic, separated into cloves and peeled, for pungent depth
• 1 teaspoon black peppercorns, freshly crushed for maximum flavor
• 1 teaspoon coriander seeds, freshly crushed to release their fragrant notes
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano, for earthy, Mediterranean undertones
• 1 pound raw jumbo shrimp, shelled or not, depending on your preference for ease of eating or added shell flavor
• 4 ounces chouriço or chorizo, roughly sliced (optional, but highly recommended for smoky depth)
• 1 tablespoon anchovy paste, or 2 to 3 canned anchovy fillets, crushed (optional, yet incredible for accentuating seafood notes)
• A small pat butter (optional, for added richness at the end)
• Plenty of freshly chopped cilantro leaves, for garnish and bright flavor

• Begin by preparing your bread: tear it into rustic, bite-sized pieces. Place these pieces into a large bowl and add enough lightly salted water to completely submerge them. Allow the bread to stand and soak at room temperature for a minimum of two hours. This crucial step ensures the bread fully softens and is ready to meld into the soup.
• While the bread is soaking, turn your attention to the aromatics. Thinly slice your onions or leeks. In a large skillet, gently heat 1/3 cup of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the sliced onions or leeks and cook them slowly, stirring occasionally. The goal is to achieve a beautiful softened, golden state, which usually takes about 30 minutes. This caramelization will add a wonderful sweetness to the soup.
• Simultaneously, roughly chop the ripe tomatoes. Transfer them to a large, roomy pot. Add the remaining olive oil and the peeled garlic cloves. Cook over medium heat, allowing the tomatoes to break down and reduce until their volume is roughly half of what you started with. This process concentrates their flavor, forming a rich tomato base.
• Next, prepare your spices. Crush the black peppercorns and coriander seeds using a mortar and pestle, or a spice grinder. Add these freshly crushed spices to the cooking tomatoes in the pot, along with the dried oregano. Stir well to combine. For a smoother soup base, push the cooked tomato mixture through a strainer, returning the refined liquid to the pot. This step is optional but contributes to a more elegant texture.
• Now, turn your attention back to the soaked bread. Use your hands to thoroughly squeeze out all excess water from the bread. Add this squeezed-out bread to the pot with the tomato base, along with 4 cups of cold water. Stir everything together. Bring the mixture to a gentle bubble and let it cook for another 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking and ensure the bread begins to amalgamate with the broth. Then, stir in the softened onions or leeks (including their cooking oil), the raw shrimp, the sliced chouriço (if you’re using it), and the anchovy paste or crushed anchovies (if desired – trust us, the anchovies truly deepen the seafood flavor without being overtly fishy).
• Continue to cook the soup for an additional 20 minutes. During this time, the bread will fully meld into the broth, creating that distinctive, risotto-like consistency that defines açorda. The flavors will deepen and harmonize beautifully. Before serving, stir in a small pat of butter, if you desire an extra touch of richness. Finish this glorious dish with a liberal scattering of fresh, chopped cilantro leaves for a bright, aromatic flourish. Serve immediately and savor every hearty spoonful.

Jody Ann M.

In my quest for a truly hearty comfort dish, especially one suitable for a chilly evening, this Portuguese bread soup with shrimp, or Açorda de Mariscos, emerged as an absolute winner. It did not disappoint in the slightest! To further embrace the authenticity of this exquisite dish, I opted to bake my own traditional Portuguese cornbread, known as broa. This decision paid off immensely, not only enhancing the inherent flavors of the soup but also providing a robust structure that admirably held up against the liquid and the extended cooking time required.

The synergy of ingredients in this dish was remarkable. The subtly sautéed leeks, offering a gentle sweetness, intertwined beautifully with the slight smoky undertone from the optional chouriço. Crucially, the cornbread integrated flawlessly, achieving a smooth, non-grainy consistency—a common concern with some cornbread-based recipes. Adding the plump shrimp elevates this creation to a complete meal, delivering a fulfilling and deliciously savory experience. Each spoonful transported me back to comforting childhood memories of dipping crusty bread into my grandmother’s rich gravy. Without a doubt, this is a recipe I will revisit repeatedly and enthusiastically recommend to friends and family alike.

Having grown up familiar with the traditional Portuguese bread soup,açorda, I hold a fond appreciation for its nuanced simplicity—typically featuring brothy bread slices infused with mint, often accompanied by a poached egg or delicate fish and seafood. My past experiences withaçordaalways evoked the comforting embrace of chicken soup or avgolemono, a surprisingly light meal despite its bread base. This particular recipe, however, presented an intriguing variation that leaned more towards a paella, reimagined with bread instead of rice. Naturally, my curiosity was piqued.Fortuitously, I had some homemade Portuguesebroaon hand. As thebroabegan its soak, I meticulously prepared the onions in one pan and the tomatoes in another. Initially, the recipe’s steps seemed somewhat elaborate upon reading, but the workflow proved to be remarkably intuitive and efficient. The acts of gently squeezing the water from the softened bread and diligently stirring the soup to prevent it from adhering to the pot bottom became surprisingly meditative, enhanced by the aromatic symphony filling my kitchen.Adhering to the recipe’s suggestions, I absolutely included the anchovies – a decision I highly recommend for their ability to subtly enhance the seafood flavors. I also added the pat of butter at the end, though I found its contribution to flavor or texture to be minimal after tasting before and after; the soup’s richness was already perfectly balanced. My soup leaned slightly more towards a traditional “soupy” consistency, perhaps because I didn’t reduce the broth quite enough before incorporating the shrimp and chouriço. While the flavors melded beautifully after the recommended 20 minutes of cooking, I felt both the shrimp and chouriço were a touch overdone for my preference.For my next attempt, I plan to fully reduce the flavorful broth and blend it with the bread first, then introduce the proteins (shrimp and chouriço) during just the final 10 minutes of cooking to ensure their optimal texture. Despite this minor adjustment for personal preference, each spoonful of thisAçorda de Mariscoswas an exciting explosion of hearty comfort. This dish has firmly earned its place on my coveted list of “bowl food” and “soul food.” Just add a spoon and a robust glass of red wine, and you have a complete, satisfying dinner.