Lemony Fish and Orzo Soup
- Total Time
- 30 minutes
- Rating
- Notes
- Read community notes
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Ingredients
Yield:4 servings
- 3tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1medium leek, white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
- ½cup thinly sliced scallions, plus more for garnish
- Kosher salt and black pepper
- 3garlic cloves, thinly sliced
- ¾cup orzo
- 1cup bottled clam juice
- 2large eggs
- 2tablespoons lemon juice
- 1½pounds skinless black sea bass or cod fillets, cut into 2-inch pieces
- 1tablespoon peeled, grated ginger
- Crusty bread, for serving
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
433 calories; 16 grams fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 28 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 3 grams sugars; 43 grams protein; 800 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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- Step 1
In a large Dutch oven, melt butter over medium. Add leeks and scallions, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened but not browned, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant, 1 minute.
- Step 2
Add the orzo, clam juice and 5 cups of water; mix well. Season with salt and pepper and bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally. Cover, reduce heat to medium-low and cook, stirring occasionally, until orzo is just al dente, 6 to 7 minutes.
- Step 3
Uncover and reduce heat to low. In a medium bowl, beat eggs with lemon juice until well blended. While whisking constantly, slowly drizzle ½ cup of the hot broth into the eggs until well blended. (It’s OK if some leeks and orzo fall in.) Repeat 2 more times.
- Step 4
While whisking the soup in the pot, slowly drizzle in the tempered egg mixture until well incorporated. Add the fish and poach over low heat. (The soup should be at a bare simmer, as boiling will cause the egg mixture to break and curdle.) Cook, stirring frequently, until broth is slightly thickened and fish is opaque throughout, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in ginger and season with salt and pepper.
- Step 5
Divide the soup among bowls, garnish with additional scallions and serve with bread.
Private Notes
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Cooking Notes
Shira K
Great recipe - love the twist on avgolemono, and this was an easy one pot wonder! For those who don’t eat clam/don’t have access to clam juice, you can substitute 1c veggie broth 1.5-2tsp fish sauce. We also added lemon zest and some extra lemon juice for some additional brightness.
Jim
This recipe is very close to a Greek fisherman's soup that I make all the time. It's always tempting to add more pasta (orzo) but keep in mind that if you do, there will be no broth left the next day and it will be more like a stew as the pasta sucks up all the broth. If you don't like ginger you can omit it and the only thing I would change in the recipe is to use olive oil instead of butter and toss in two small cans of clams instead of just using the juice. Thanks for posting this recipe!
Katerina
The avgolemono bit, so adding the tempered egg mixture, normally comes at the end of the recipe. I would add and cook the fish first and then follow the technique described with the egg mixture, off heat and then bring back to almost simmer before serving. At least this is the way avgolemono works in chicken soup and other Greek meat dishes (lamb).
Elizabeth W
Very easy and delicious recipe. Cooked as written and used cod, and it turned out perfectly.
Jessie B.
In my previous note I said 5 cups of water left the soup bland. I made it again and used 4 cups of fish stock, the juice of one large lemon on and half a cup of parsley along with white pepper. Much better! A delicious soup that can be snd should be made to your taste.
Nancy L
I would put the whole piece in, skin and all. And then after 5 minutes or so, pull it back out, remove the skin (tugging and/or using a knife) and then cut the fish into 2” pieces and put it back in the broth.
Tor
I notice other commenters liked this soup. Maybe I did something wrong. For me 5 cups of water was way too much. The broth was watery and bland. I wish I had followed my instinct and only added a bit at a time until the consistency was right.
lovely but lacking lemon
So we added a whole extra cup of lemon juice and it was excellent.
Stephanie R
This is a lovely, kinder, gentler soup, but it takes longer to get the orzo to al dente than stated. It's very good though.
Kristin
I made this as written, except I added the egg & lemon after poaching the fish. It was absolutely wonderful. Light but hearty at the same time. Flavors of lemon, leek and ginger were delicious together. I wouldn't change a thing. Definitely don't sub in broth which would totally muddle the flavor. Reading the comments on here, I'd think every recipe on NYT Cooking was terrible and needed major changes. But when I trust the recipe I am often rewarded.
Mauri Stott
I made this exactly to the recipe and we loved it. A comforting, delicious meal with bread and salad. We both agreed next time we would bring lemon wedges to squeeze on top for a bit more lemoniness, and maybe even add a little sliced, fresh basil. Agree with the review that states longer cooking time on the Orzo, but no complaints here. Will make again.
Nicolecooks2
Made this exactly as written with one minor sub (didn't have orzo so used small diced white potatoes instead). If you are tasting and seasoning as you go, this recipe is perfect. The flavors are delicate and well balanced, and the ginger at the end is just what it needs to make everything shine. I would not up the lemon, or add broth, or whatever else other comments have suggested, because you will miss the subtle nuances of each ingredient in this lovely soup.
Simple, Excellent
We loved this and think the success was due in large part to using really high quality ingredients - homemade crab stock, Alaskan sablefish, etc. - aust when the dish is so simple and light. We followed a recommendation to add the egg and lemon mixture at the end, and it worked great. My husband must have asked me three times if I was sure I didn't add any cream.
Cassidy H
Fantastic recipe! I love clams, so I buy 1-2 lbs and make my own clam broth and toss the clams into the soup at the end. Instead of using 1 cup clam broth and 5 cups water, I use 2 cups of the homemade clam broth along with 4 cups of homemade vegetable stock. It adds a lot of flavor! I also like to add the zest of 1 lemon to brighten it up a bit more. This is my favorite soup recipe and a real crowd pleaser!
Margarette
We had some grilled squash and peppers vegetables from the hot bar at Whole Foods that we were originally serving on the side. We ended up putting them in the soup and it was great! Soup was a little bland otherwise. Will doctor up a bit next time.
Friendly Jen
So good! I had some frozen Mahi Mahi (AKA Dorado) and it worked very well. I made it as directed, and I wouldn't change a thing. I will make it again.
Michele
For me, the soup was too thick with that much orzo, and too bland using water instead of stock, as another reader pointed out. It needed extra seasoning (salt and pepper), I added lemon zest, and extra lemon juice. I might reduce the orzo. I saw a recipe for avgolemono that used only 1/4 cup orzo. My leftovers will probably be like glue and need more water and lemon and seasoning. I don't think I'll be making it again.
canakris
Delicious. Added some spinach/baby kale mix at end. The little bit of fresh ginger made it for me.
HaroldS
Doubled the recipe. Used 3ea, 8oz bottles of clam juice (vs. 2 per recipe), reduced the water to 7 cups (from 10), & added lemon zest. cooked the fish in the broth before adding the egg mixture. The soup still needed more acid & egg flavor. Next time I'll use 1.5X the lemon juice & add 1 additional egg yolk.
Ed S
First time I made it I followed the recipe straight up; delicious! 2nd time I wanted to use up some items kicking around in the refrigerator, so I decided on a marriage of Greek and Thai, and did the following; Used 3.5 cups chicken broth instead of water Added .75 can of coconut milk Added 1 tsp fish sauce to clam juice Added 1 sliced jalapeño Garnished with cilantro A mixed in some lime juice at the end Really like the result. May add some more fish sauce next time!
Chuffed57
Sautéd red onion and scallions (no leek) Added a pack of mussels frozen in broth, a bit of fish sauce and a squirt of anchovy paste for umami. Then cod chunks. Extra lemon at serving helps enormously, plus lots of black pepper. This is a fun version of a Greek favorite. In summer, with fresh tomatoes and cukes, I’d be sure to have the classic Greek chopped salad on the side along with some feta and Kalamata olives.
Simple, Excellent
We loved this and think the success was due in large part to using really high quality ingredients - homemade crab stock, Alaskan sablefish, etc. - aust when the dish is so simple and light. We followed a recommendation to add the egg and lemon mixture at the end, and it worked great. My husband must have asked me three times if I was sure I didn't add any cream.
Jo Pomeroy
This soup was very bland. I added about 2 teaspoons of salt and one teaspoon of pepper and finally added another 3 tablespoons of lemon. I would play wiht this some in the future, probably adding more lemon first.
geteb
Spoiler Alert! Took everyone's suggestions and: -used veggie broth instead of water -poached fish before adding avgelemono -added some spinach to the mix at the very end -added the lemon zest of the lemon -added a can of chopped clams along with the clam juice And it is absolutely delicious w/ these additions/alterations. I know I'll get blowback from the recipe purists, but hey - recipes are meant to be built upon/tweaked, right? Savoring my last spoonfuls as I write...
CWK91
This was simple to make and has a lot of possibility for little changes. We left out the ginger and added some fresh, minced tarragon. It was a terrific garnish. Be careful once you add the tempered egg. Don't let it boil and don't walk away, or it may break/curdle.
Robin
This was easy and quick, but lacking in flavor. I did add more lemon juice which helped, but I think it needs more richness and flavor. Maybe less water? Maybe some seasoning? More butter? Suggestions?
Powell
Chicken or vegetable stock instead of water would help.
dylan olivia
Amazing recipe! I was sure to use organic ingredients, and then instead of clam juice I used organic salted chicken broth. Added quinoa at the end and red pepper flake. Medium low towards the end to boil the fish worked better!
Doug T
Wow, my wife and I loved this soup! After reading the reviews I was a bit hesitant but made only a few changes. We only had a pound of frozen cod so we added 1/2 lb of shrimp that we had on hand. I was concerned about the comments that the soup was too watery so I added a second 8 oz bottle of clam juice and four cups of water. I thought the consistency was perfect and the flavors with the ginger and 1/2 squeezed lemon were great. I also added about two cups of baby spinach at the end.
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