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Parihuela

The king of Peruvian seafood soups — a chile-red broth crowded with fish, shrimp, squid, and mussels, guaranteed to cure anything.

⏱ 25 minPrep time
🔥 40 minCook time
🍽 6Servings
🏷 DinnerCategory
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Parihuela

Parihuela is Peru’s answer to a restorative feast: a deep, brick-red broth flavored with aji panca, aji amarillo, and a mountain of mixed seafood. Restaurants along the coast compete to pile the bowl highest, and it is famously served to anyone in need of warming up.

A whole ocean in one steaming bowl

The broth is rich, smoky, and gently spicy, carrying the sweet brine of shrimp shells and the clean flavor of white fish. Every ladleful brings a different treasure — a tender mussel, a ring of squid, a flake of fish — and the cilantro and lime on top wake it all up.

Step by stepInstructions

  1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat and cook the onion for 5 minutes until soft, then add the garlic, oregano, and both aji pastes and cook 2 minutes.
  2. Add the tomatoes and cook for 5 minutes until they break down, then pour in the fish stock and wine, if using, and bring to a boil.
  3. Simmer the broth for 15 minutes to deepen the flavor, then season with salt and pepper.
  4. Add the fish chunks and simmer for 4 minutes, then add the squid and shrimp and cook 2 minutes more.
  5. Add the mussels, cover, and cook for 3 to 4 minutes until they all open wide; discard any that stay shut.
  6. Ladle into deep bowls, making sure every bowl gets a share of everything, and finish with cilantro and a squeeze of lime.

💡 Chef tips & storage

Buy shrimp with heads and simmer the shells in the stock for extra depth if you have the time. Parihuela is best the day it is made — the seafood turns rubbery on reheating.

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Recipe details

Prep25 min
Cook40 min
Servings6
CategoryDinner
PublishedAugust 17, 2026
Emily — the cook behind My Comfort Recipes

Hi, I'm Emily 🧡

Hi, I'm Emily — the cook behind My Comfort Recipes. Simple, tested comfort food for real weeknights, written down the way grandma would. Pull up a chair. More about me →