Sopa de Caracol (Sopa de caracol)
Overview
Sopa de caracol is a creamy conch soup from the Caribbean coast of Honduras. Tenderised conch meat is cooked in a broth of coconut milk and stock with garlic, onion, sweet peppers, culantro and spices, along with chunks of green banana and yuca. The soup is rich, slightly sweet and fragrant, and is often finished with a little butter and lime. It is usually served with rice or tortillas, and the conch should be cooked slowly so that it becomes tender rather than tough. Some versions also include fish or shrimp.
History
The soup comes from the Garifuna and other coastal communities around La Ceiba, Trujillo and the Bay Islands. It became famous across Latin America in 1991 through the hit song Sopa de Caracol by the Honduran group Banda Blanca, and is now seen as a symbol of Honduran coastal cooking. Similar conch soups are made on the Caribbean coasts of Belize, Guatemala and Nicaragua.
Main ingredients
Conch, coconut milk, green bananas, yuca, sweet peppers, coriander. The soup is built on coconut milk and fish stock and is usually served hot. Diet: pescatarian; usually gluten-free.
Explore: Coconut soups
Recipe outline serves 4 · ~75 min
Ingredients
- 600 g conch meat, cleaned and tenderised
- 800 ml coconut milk, 500 ml fish stock
- 3 green bananas, 300 g yuca, in chunks
- 1 onion, 4 garlic cloves, 1 sweet pepper
- culantro or coriander, cumin, achiote
- butter, lime, salt
Allergens: Contains: Fish, Milk, Molluscs. Based on the typical recipe. Recipes and products vary; always check labels if you have an allergy.
Method
- Simmer the conch in water for 30 minutes and cut into pieces.
- Cook the onion, garlic and pepper in butter, add the stock, coconut milk and spices.
- Add the bananas and yuca and cook until tender.
- Return the conch, add the herbs, heat through and serve with lime.
Sources
Description, history and recipe written by SoupWiki and checked against the sources above. Calories and times are rough estimates.
