There are a multitude of ways Shrimp Soup is made in Mexico, and each region can have its own recipes. In the Huasteca region, for example, there is a version where corn dough is diluted in water and added to the soup to form a slightly thick soup, called Huatape (I grew up eating it this way, as my mother is from that region of the country). Another version that is popular in the coastal area of Veracruz is prepared with a broth seasoned with dried peppers that has dried or fresh shrimps, but no vegetables.

The version most common throughout the country is the one that uses fresh shrimp (shells on or removed), carrots, potatoes, and a tomato flavored broth. As I’ve mentioned in many recipes before, nothing is written in stone, and each cook adapts the recipe to the products they have on hand in their region.

Growing up, I always thought that everyone ate their shrimp soup with corn masa, because that’s the way my mom made it, but when visiting friends and classmates at their houses (usually around lunchtime), I learned that there were other ways to prepare shrimp soup. In fact, my mother would get upset with me because, from a very young age, I liked to get myself invited to other people’s houses for lunch. She would tell me that people would think that she didn’t feed me well, or that we didn’t have food in our house! In reality, what lured me to do that was my curiosity about how other people cooked. I wanted to see why their food tasted different than my mom’s usual cooking. What spices and herbs, or techniques, did they use differently? The term “foodie” did not exist back then, so I guess I thought of myself as a very young gourmand.

I hope you enjoy this soup, the mixture of flavors is exquisite!