How to Cook with Frozen Mixed Seafood: Seafood Soups on a Budget

Cioppino and Thai Seafood Soup: Two great seafood Soups under $12.50 serving 2-4.

Cioppino With Mixed Frozen Seafood

If you love seafood, but your budget or geography doesn't allow you to cook with fresh, consider frozen seafood. Of all frozen seafood offerings at your local grocery or warehouse store, bags of frozen mixed seafood are often offer the most "bang for your buck." But good recipes usually don't tell you exactly how to modify them to cook with these mixed bags. This past will show you how to cook Cioppino and Thai Seafood Soup with frozen mixed seafood at home.

Thai Seafood Soup (Tom Yum Talay) With Mixed Frozen Seafood

My Asian market sells these bags of mixed seafood for $3.99--shrimp, octopus, squid, and mussels. Costco, Sam's and Trader Joes also sell inexpensive mixed seafood. But how do you actually cook with them?

Update 9/3/26 These bags now sells for $5, as inflation has taken its toll. Sorry friends, but that is why we started this blog.

How to Cook with Mixed Frozen Seafood

These recipes originally appeared in a post on seafood soups at TheSpruceEats.com. I modified the recipes so that they could be made using inexpensive mixed frozen seafood, which is available almost everywhere. The results were fantastic. Note: the mixed seafood bag I used was 14 oz., so I supplemented it with three additional ounces of shelled frozen shrimp from Sam's Club. It would be best to have at least a pound of thawed, shelled seafood to finish both recipes. Other bags, such as the bag widely available at Walmart, are 1.5 pounds. Just use what you can find at a reasonable price--Costco has a large 2.5-pound bag, which is adequate to make both recipes here, while Trader Joe's has a 1-pound bag for under $10.

The Cioppino Recipe tips and tricks:

• I modified the Cioppino recipe to substitute ground fennel seeds for anise-flavored liquor, which can be expensive and difficult to find.

• One thing I would not substitute under any condition is the fresh fennel bulb. It really makes the recipe, and there is no real substitute. If you can't find fennel, I would save the frozen seafood until you can.

• Save and use the fennel fronds for flavor and garnish.

The Thai Seafood Soup Recipe tips and tricks:

• Visit your favorite Asian grocery--the ingredients there are typically far less expensive and of better quality.

• Try to find fresh lemongrass and grind the middle part in a blender or food processor (discard the bottom and simmer the top in the pot, retrieve it, and throw it away before serving).

• Try to find fresh lime leaves if you can, but dried ones are fine if you cannot find them. In a pinch, add a teaspoon of lime zest.

• Coconut milk is available everywhere in cans, but don't buy the low-fat variety.

• Galangal is cheap and available at a Thai or Vietnamese grocery store. Otherwise, you can find ginger in most groceries. My favorite Asian grocery sells a huge amount of galangal for under $3. If you get to the refrigerator case and the ginger, galangal, and turmeric bulbs look the same, ask someone for help. My experience is that the staff is happy to educate you, especially if you come often and try new things.

Recipe #1: Cioppino with Mixed Frozen Seafood

This classic Cioppino is a rich seafood broth with fennel and tomatoes, made inexpensive with mixed frozen seafood.

Ingredients (Cost $12.40, serves 2)

• 2 T olive oil ($0.25)

• 2 T butter ($0.30)

• 1/2 of a small, sweet onion, chopped ($0.25)

• 1/4 c. carrots, chopped ($0.25)

• 1/4 c. celery, chopped ($0.10)

• 1/2 of a small fennel bulb, chopped fine ($2.00)

• 1 clove of garlic, pressed

• 1 T tomato paste

• 1/2 c. dry white wine, such as Pinot Griego ($0.50)

• 1 8 oz. bottle of clam juice ($2.00)

• 1 14 oz can diced tomatoes ($1.00)

• 1 bay leaf

• 1/4 t. dried thyme

• 1/4 t. dried oregano

• 1/4 t. dried basil

• 1/4 t. ground fennel seeds (roast and grind in spice mill), optional

• salt and pepper

• 1-1.5 pounds mixed frozen seafood thawed and rinsed; shells removed. ($3.99 plus $2.00 for extra shrimp)

• fennel fronds, chopped.

Directions

1. Thaw frozen seafood, make sure to remove shells and rinse.

2. Heat butter and olive oil. Add onions, celery, carrots and fennel bulb and cook until beginning to get tender, about 5 minutes.

3. Add pressed garlic and tomato paste. Add white wine and cook until alcohol has reduced to thickness. Add clam juice, tomatoes (with juices) and spices. Bring to a simmer and simmer gently, covered, for an hour.

4. Add the thawed seafood and warm until cooked through.

5. This soup does not hold well once the seafood is added. You can make it ahead of time up to the point of adding the seafood and keep in the refrigerator up to 3 days. Heat and add the seafood and simmer for 5 minutes when you are ready to serve it.

Add seafood and simmer.

6. Serve with chopped fennel fronds or chopped parsley and lot of crusty bread.

Cioppino on a Budget

Recipe #2: Thai Seafood Soup (Tom Yum Talay) with Mixed Frozen Seafood

Tom Yum Talay Ingredients

Ingredients (Cost 12.35, serves 4)

• 6 c chicken stock (Aldi, $1.60)

• 1 stalk lemongrass, minced ($0.30)

• 2 lime leaves, fresh or dried ($0.10)

• 4 cloves garlic, press ($0.10)

• 1 t grated galangal, or ginger ($0.25)

• Thai chili paste or other minced hot peppers, to taste

• 1 c mushrooms, sliced thinly ($1.00)

• 1 lb. frozen mixed seafood ($3.99 plus $2 for extra shrimp)

• 1 Roma tomato, halved, pulp removed and cut into thin strips ($0.25)

• 1 c bok choy, chopped, optional ($0.75)

• 1/2 can coconut milk or cream (full fat) ($1.25)

• 2 T fish sauce

• 1 T soy sauce

• Juice of 2 limes ($0.50)

• 1 t sugar

• 1/4 c chopped cilantro ($0.25)

Directions

1. Thaw frozen seafood, make sure to remove shells and rinse.

2. Heat the stock, add lemongrass, and lime leaves to a large pot over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil.

Stock and Aromatics

3. Add garlic, galangal, chili, and mushrooms. Simmer until mushrooms are soft, 2 to 3 minutes.

Add garlic, galangal, and chiles. Add Mushrooms.

4. Add the thawed mixed seafood, tomato, and bok choy. Simmer over medium heat until seafood is done (shrimp will pink and other seafood will be firm to the touch and no longer translucent).

Add mixed seafood, tomato and bok choy.

5. Add the coconut milk, fish sauce, soy sauce, lime juice, and sugar, and simmer until hot (do not boil).

Add coconut milk, fish sauce, soy and sugar.

6. Check for seasoning and garnish with cilantro.

More Information on Cooking with Frozen Mixed Seafood

If you liked these recipes but you are in the mood for pasta instead of soup, please look at these two posts:

How to Cook with Mixed Frozen Seafood: Pasta with Seafood in Tomato Garlic Sauce

Seafood Pasta with Mixed Frozen Seafood

or

How to Cook with Frozen Seafood: Pasta with Shrimp, Mussels, and Tomatoes.

Seafood on a Budget: Frozen shrimp and mussels.

Seafood doesn't have to be expensive or unattainable! You can do this!