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Home » Recipes » Entrees » Tapado – Guatemalan Seafood Soup with Coconut Milk

Tapado – Guatemalan Seafood Soup with Coconut Milk

Posted January 22, 2018, Updated April 25, 2022 //  by Michele Peterson

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Tapado, a delicious seafood soup with coconut milk, is a traditional dish from the Caribbean coast of Guatemala, Belize and Honduras.

The fragrant coconut broth, packed with fresh fish, lobster, shrimp, plantain and yucca, makes it ideal for lunch or dinner.  It’s also gluten-free!

Tapado Gautemala - Caribbean seafood soup with coconut milk, yucca and plantain

One of the most famous dishes that highlights the African influence on Latin cooking, this coconut seafood soup originates from the Garifuna communities on the coasts of Guatemala, Belize and Honduras.

With its sunny tropical flavour, Guatemalan tapado soup is one of the most popular traditional Guatemalan foods from the country’s Caribbean coast. It’s a flavourful concoction of seafood, plantain, yucca, coconut milk and fresh spices. It’s also very easy to make.

This Afro Guatemalan recipe for tapado soup is sure to become one of your favourite dishes for everyday or entertaining.

What is Tapado Soup?

Unlike the hearty stews of the highlands of Guatemala such as kak-ik turkey soup, pulique and pepian, tapado seafood soup hails from Puerto Barrios and Livingston on Guatemala’s Caribbean coast.

It’s an especially popular dish during Garifuna Settlement Day, one of the largest, most exuberant  festivals in Guatemala.  It’s also popular in Tela, Roatan and other beach destinations in Honduras.

This stretch of the Caribbean coastline from Belize to Honduras is home to the Garifuna people, a distinct cultural group originally from Africa.

The music, religion and culinary traditions of the Garifuna people are quite distinct from those of the Maya from the highlands. You’re more likely to see fish, shrimp, coconut, plantain, banana and hot pepper sauces in the typical dishes in this region.

Caribbean Credit Sebastien Gabriel
Enjoy tapado soup on the Caribbean coast of Guatemala and Honduras

Tapado is a dish that combines all of those ingredients in perfect harmony. What does “tapado” mean in English? When it comes to this dish, it means “topped” with a fried whole fish as the bowl of soup is often served with a fried whole fish laid across the top of the bowl.

Insider Tip: If you’re visiting Guatemala, you don’t have to go all the way to Livingston for authentic tapado. If you’re headed to Coban, Esquipulas or Tikal, you can sample it at Marea Roja Restaurante located on the Atlantic Highway just before El Rancho.

Other popular Guatemalan dishes in Livingston, Rio Dulce and Puerto Barrios  include pan de coco, a coconut bread sold from baskets by women in the markets and pescado guisado con coco, whole fish steamed in coconut milk with vegetables, and Guatemalan ceviche, a seafood cocktail featuring a mix of shrimp, conch or fish.

 

Ingredients for Tapado Garifuna – Coconut Seafood Soup

The most important ingredient for tapado is the seafood you use. For the fish, use a firm white fish, such as halibut, haddock or cod for this recipe. Stay away from sole ( too delicate) or tuna  (too oily).

Try to find wild shrimp that isn’t farmed. Spiny lobster is optional but elevates the soup and makes it ideal for a special occasion such as Father’s Day or Valentine’s Day.

Ingredients for Tapado - Guatemalan seafood soup with coconut milk on a wooden board.
Fresh seafood is the key ingredient for Guatemalan tapado

Another of the key ingredients for tapado soup is achiote, a spice and food colorant made from crushed annato seeds. It adds a slightly earthy taste and the all-important red colour to the soup.

It can be purchased at virtually every Latin food shop and is quite inexpensive so is well worth adding to your pantry.

If you don’t have any Latin food shops in your neighbourhood, you can also purchase it on Amazon in a paste or powder form such as the popular  El Yucateco Achiote Red Paste, 3.5 oz.

Grace food products and other ingredients for tapado Guatemala
Grace food products and other ingredients for tapado

For coconut milk and hot sauce, I usually look for products from Grace Foods. Founded in 1922, and now the Caribbean’s leading food manufacturer and distributor, Grace Foods produces popular products such as 100% pure coconut water, jerk sauces, coconut oil and hot pepper sauces.

They’ve also regularly introduce exciting new products such as coconut vinegar, a wellness product that’s packed with so many health benefits its vying with apple cider vinegar in popularity.

Importantly for our family, none of the Grace Food Product line contains the Monosodium Glutamate (MSG) additive. So you don’t have to worry about having an adverse reaction if you have a sensitivity to MSG.

How to Make Tapado – Seafood Soup with Coconut Milk

Begin by making a sofrito, a typical base for many Guatemalan and Latin American soups, stews and  dishes. While in countries such as Spain, Portugal or the Caribbean a sofrito, refogado or sofregito might include peppers, garlic and spices, in Guatemala a basic sofrito always includes tomato, onion and cilantro.

To make a sofrito for this tapado recipe, chop the peeled tomatoes, red peppers, jalapeno, cilantro and onions into small pieces and sauté the mixture in vegetable oil until soft, but not browned.

It should be saucy and not dried out.

Guatemalan sofrito cooking in a pot for tapado seafood soup.
Saute the chopped vegetables to create a sofrito, a typical sauce used as a base for soups and stews

Add the achiote to warm fish broth or water and stir until completely dissolved. 

Next, pour the seafood stock (or water if you’re using) with the dissolved achiote into the sofrito in your soup pot.

Add broth to sofrito in tapado recipe
Pour the fish broth or water into the sofrito

Bring the broth to a low boil, add the sliced plantain, green banana and yucca  to the broth. Then, add the coconut milk and simmer the vegetables for 10 minutes until almost done.

When adding the coconut milk be sure to stir the contents within the can of coconut milk first. Mix the rich coconut cream from the bottom of the can with the thinner coconut milk at the top.

Add sliced plantain and yucca to the tapado broth
Add sliced plantain and yucca to the broth

Next, add the mix of seafood (lobster, fish, tiny crab or shrimp) into the broth with the partially-cooked plantain and yucca being sure to submerge the seafood into the broth.

Adding seafood to tapado Guatemalan seafood soup
Add the shrimp, lobster and fish to the broth containing the yucca and plantain

Add more water, if necessary, to cover the seafood. Simmer for 10 minutes until the seafood is fully cooked.

Garnish with chopped cilantro and serve with white rice and hot sauce on the side.

Tapado, a Guatemalan seafood soup with coconut milk, yucca and plantain in a white bowls on a wooden board.

Serve tapado soup with white rice and hot sauce on the side

In Guatemala, tapado is often served with a crispy, whole fried fish on top. This is also an option if you’d like to go with the traditional Garifuna version.

Tips for Making Guatemalan Tapado

  • When choosing a plantain to use for tapado, look for one with black skin indicating it’s ripe but try to select one that isn’t mushy.
  • Green bananas add a taste of bitterness that is a nice complement to the sweetness of the coconut milk. Green bananas are simply unripe versions of the yellow banana. They’re often used in savoury dishes in the Caribbean.
  • Don’t overcook your tapado soup. You want the fish and seafood to stay intact.
  • Use a firm white fish, such as halibut, haddock or cod for this recipe. Stay away from sole ( too delicate) or tuna  (too oily).
Tapado - Guatemalan Coconut Seafood Soup with Plantain and Yucca
Serve tapado soup with plain white rice and hot sauce on the side

You Might Also Like These Recipes

  • To make one of these popular traditional Guatemalan dishes from the Caribbean coast, check out this recipe for authentic Guatemalan shrimp ceviche. 
  • For another recipe featuring coconut milk and seafood, try our easy recipe for Tahitian Poisson Cru from French Polynesia.

If you try this recipe, be sure to rate it and let us know how the dish turned out in the comments below. We’d love to hear from you! Or tag us at #atastefortravel 

A white bowl of Garifuna tapado seafood soup from Guatemala with rice on the side. .
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4.82 from 38 votes

Tapado - Guatemalan Seafood Soup with Coconut Milk

A creamy seafood soup featuring rich coconut milk, yucca and plantain
Prep Time10 mins
Cook Time30 mins
Total Time40 mins
Course: Soup
Cuisine: Guatemalan
Servings: 2 servings
Calories: 825kcal
Author: Michele Peterson

Ingredients

  • 1 tablespoon garlic clove
  • 1 teaspoon jalapeno
  • small handful cilantro
  • 1/2 red bell pepper
  • 2 Roma tomatoes seeded and peeled
  • 1/2 onion
  • 1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
  • 2 cups water vegetable or seafood stock
  • 1 cup yuca chopped in bite-sized pieces
  • 2 plantains sliced on diagonal
  • 1 green banana sliced on diagonal
  • 1/2 can Grace Foods coconut milk
  • 20 raw shrimp peeled and deveined but tails on
  • 2 Caribbean lobster tails if available or mixed seafood of your choice
  • 4 filets white fish or you can fry a whole fish
  • 1/4 teaspoon achiote
  • Grace Foods Hot Pepper sauce
US Customary - Metric
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Instructions

  • Chop the first six ingredients in a food processor
  • Place the vegetable oil in the bottom of a large soup pot
  • Saute the chopped vegetables in oil until soft and saucy but not browned.
  • Dissolve the achiote in warm water (or seafood stock) 
  • Add water and achiote to sauteed vegetables
  • Pour the coconut milk into the broth and vegetables 
  • Heat until simmering and add the sliced plantain, green banana and yucca
  • Cook for around 10 minutes
  • Add seafood and simmer for another 5-10 minutes until vegetables and seafood is tender but not mushy.
  • Season with salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
  • If you want to prepare it the traditional way, you can deep-fry a whole fish and lay it on the top of the soup
  • Serve with white rice, tortillas and Grace Foods hot pepper sauce

Notes

  • When choosing a plantain to use for tapado, look for one with black skin indicating it's ripe but try to select one that is not mushy
  • Green bananas add a taste of bitterness that is a nice complement to the sweetness of the coconut milk. Green bananas are simply unripe versions of the yellow banana. They're often used in savoury dishes in the Caribbean.  
  • Don't overcook your tapado soup. You want the fish and seafood to stay intact. 
  • Use a firm white fish, such as halibut, haddock or cod for this recipe. Stay away from sole ( too delicate) or tuna  ( too oily).
  • In Livingston, tapado is often served with a fried whole fish on top.  To serve it the traditional Garifuna way, be sure to gut and scale the fish, dry it thoroughly, sprinkle it with sea salt and fry it  in corn oil until very crispy.  
Note: Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy and is not guaranteed to be accurate. It is created by online calculators and although we attempt to provide accurate nutritional information, the figures are only estimates.

Nutrition

Calories: 825kcal | Carbohydrates: 118g | Protein: 30g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 24g | Cholesterol: 233mg | Sodium: 797mg | Potassium: 1871mg | Fiber: 8g | Sugar: 38g | Vitamin A: 3015IU | Vitamin C: 106.9mg | Calcium: 211mg | Iron: 6.2mg
Tried this recipe?Mention @ATasteForTravel or tag #ATasteForTravel!

If You Liked This Post You May Also Enjoy:  

Check out our other easy Guatemalan recipes or traditional recetas guatemaltecas below.

Pepián de Pollo – Chicken in Red Chile Sauce 

Salpicon de Res: Shredded Mint and beef appetizer 

Pulique: A Ceremonial Chicken from A Mayan Cooking Class in Guatemala

Green Bean Fritters or Tortitas de Ejote Guatemalteco 

Pescado Seco Envuelto en Huevo  or Bacalao a la Vizcaina

Tortitas de Berro or Watercress Omelettes 

Save to Pinterest! 

 

Tapado A Guatemalan recipe for Caribbean seafood soup

Michele Peterson
Michele Peterson

Dividing her time between Canada, Guatemala and Mexico (or the nearest tropical beach), Michele Peterson is the founder of A Taste for Travel. Her award-winning travel and food writing has appeared in Lonely Planet’s cookbook Mexico: From the Source, National Geographic Traveler, Fodor’s and 100+ other publications.

Read more about Michele Peterson.

« Is Guatemala Safe? 25 Tips for Safe Travel in Guatemala
Olveston House Montserrat: A Tribute to Sir George Martin »

About Michele Peterson

Dividing her time between Canada, Guatemala and Mexico (or the nearest tropical beach), Michele Peterson is the founder of A Taste for Travel. Her award-winning travel and food writing has appeared in Lonely Planet’s cookbook Mexico: From the Source, National Geographic Traveler, Fodor’s and 100+ other publications.

Read more about Michele Peterson.

Previous Post: «tuk tuks in Flores Guatemala Is Guatemala Safe? 25 Tips for Safe Travel in Guatemala
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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Taylor Kiser

    May 13, 2019 at 11:03 am

    5 stars
    This is such a comforting dinner! The flavors are incredible!

  2. Adriana

    May 13, 2019 at 10:05 am

    5 stars
    This is a scrumptious soup, anything with lobster and jumbo shrimps is something that I would enjoy trying. The addition of the plantains must make this soup very good too. Definitely, a must try!

  3. Terri Gilson

    May 13, 2019 at 9:52 am

    5 stars
    This sounds delicious- I love soups with a coconut base! I had never heard of it but would love to try it.

  4. Emily

    May 13, 2019 at 9:41 am

    5 stars
    Great recipe. I had everything but the lobster. Still tasted great though.

  5. Lisa | Garlic & Zest

    May 13, 2019 at 9:36 am

    5 stars
    I love recipes with a backstory and finding out where they come from and why they’re so popular. This sounds like a soup I would really enjoy — the coconut and seafood plus the kick of spices. Sign me up for two bowls ASAP!

  6. john

    February 01, 2018 at 5:29 am

    Great complete family meal.

    I like the jerk spices

  7. Cassandra D

    January 28, 2018 at 8:54 pm

    Coconut milk.

  8. Tammy Dalley

    January 25, 2018 at 10:00 pm

    I would love to try the coconut milk!

  9. Kelly D

    January 25, 2018 at 6:54 pm

    I can’t wait to try the coconut milk in my next fish dish!

  10. Cheryl Morreale

    January 24, 2018 at 9:00 pm

    I follow @tastefortravel as @loucheryl . Auto correct put @l and I hit enter by mistake and now I can’t correct it. Sorry.

    • Michele Peterson

      January 24, 2018 at 9:26 pm

      Thanks for following Cheryl and best of luck on the giveaway!

  11. salvatore

    January 24, 2018 at 5:23 pm

    5 stars
    The coconut milk sounds really versatile and could be used in many dishes.

  12. @loucheryl

    January 24, 2018 at 4:47 pm

    I’d love the Coconut Milk to try first. I would love to add it to my cooking. 🙂

  13. Pat Capo

    January 24, 2018 at 4:29 pm

    I’m craving Caribbean flavours, too, especially seafood. I’d like to try the Grace coconut milk or coconut oil!

  14. nickie

    January 24, 2018 at 12:07 am

    I like the jerk spices

  15. Kathy V

    January 23, 2018 at 9:49 am

    5 stars
    Love the coconut milk!

  16. Dianna

    January 23, 2018 at 1:14 am

    5 stars
    Great family meal.

    I love the jerk spices

  17. Heather Koroluk

    January 22, 2018 at 10:14 am

    That tapado recipe looks absolutely delicious! adding to my must try recipes.

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Michele Peterson in Tuscany Italy Credit Insight Vacations.

Hi, I'm Michele! Welcome to A Taste for Travel, one of the world’s top culinary travel blogs, welcoming over 1.5 million readers annually! 

Along with a team of expert travel writers, enthusiastic eaters and skilled photographers, we help readers plan incredible adventures and make delicious global recipes at home.

More about me →

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