Okra soup is a traditional tomato-based soup that originated in West Africa. While you can add any protein to this dish, I like using shrimp when it’s in season in the Lowcountry because it pairs really well with the okra.
| Level: | Easy |
| Total: | 1 hr 50 min |
| Active: | 30 min |
| Yield: | 10 servings |
Ingredients
- 2 cups medium shrimp, peeled and deveined, shrimp reserved for the okra soup, shells cleaned in cold water and reserved for the shrimp broth
- 1 cup large-chopped carrot
- 1 cup large-chopped celery
- 1 cup large-chopped onion
- 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 medium green bell pepper, chopped
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 2 cups fresh or thawed frozen corn
- 2 cups thawed frozen lima beans
- 1 cup diced fresh Roma tomatoes
- One 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 2 1/2 cups sliced fresh or thawed frozen okra
- 1 teaspoon ground ginger
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- Steamed rice, for serving, optional
Instructions
- For the shrimp broth: Put the shrimp shells, carrots, celery, onions, butter, salt, bay leaf and 10 cups water in a large pot. Bring to a boil for 5 minutes. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for about 45 minutes, making sure to skim off and discard any impurities that rise to the top. Strain the liquid, reserving 3 cups of the broth for the okra soup. Reserve the additional broth for another use.
- For the okra soup: Heat a large gumbo pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat, add the olive oil, garlic, onions, green peppers and 1 tablespoon of the butter and saute until the vegetables soften. Next, add the corn, lima beans and Roma tomatoes and mix together. Add the canned diced tomatoes and reserved 3 cups shrimp broth, stir, cover, bring to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes.
- While the soup is simmering, melt the remaining tablespoon of butter in a medium skillet, add the reserved shrimp and season with salt and pepper. Cook until the shrimp begin to turn pink. Add the okra, ground ginger and lemon juice, stir to mix and then cook until the okra and shrimp are cooked through.
- Once the soup has simmered for 20 minutes, add the shrimp and okra mixture to the soup. Cover and cook for an additional 10 minutes. Stir the soup, then serve over rice (or enjoy it without rice).
Nutrition Facts
| Serving Size | 1 of 10 servings |
| Calories | 241 |
| Total Fat | 8 g |
| Saturated Fat | 3 g |
| Carbohydrates | 29 g |
| Dietary Fiber | 6 g |
| Sugar | 6 g |
| Protein | 16 g |
| Cholesterol | 138 mg |
| Sodium | 761 mg |
Reviews
This was absolutely amazing!! I made the recipe exact except for the shrimp broth but I will definitely do it for next time. (My budget would only allow for a cup of shrimp). So I just added dried garlic herb & Flavor God’s Everything spice. & used seafood stick. This is my first okra soup that I’ve ever made and it was great. My momma’s from Upstate S.C. so I wanted to make some okra soup. Usually I pick out okra but Kardea’s tip has made me a new non-fried okra fan lol.
Just made this last night and absolutely fell in love with it. I didn’t use much salt at all, so the flavor from all of the veggies, ground ginger, and homemade shrimp broth were the true winners here 🙂
We made this tonight and it was the BEST soup! We froze the excess shrimp stock. We followed the recipe exactly and served it over rice. We will definitely make it again.
Outstanding recipe..I made it with fresh gulf shrimp and all my Grandbabies loved it. Followed the recipe exactly! Loved the flavor of the shrimp broth! Excellent recipe Kardea! A must do over!! I served it with fresh cornbread.
I have made this soup twice already and each time came out delicious!!
Great tease
This was a delicious soup for a cold evening! My 8 year old had never had lima beans or okra (that wasn’t fried) and she ate an entire bowl with some curry spiced rice. I halved the recipe since it was just the two of us and added a little salt, pepper and cumin but otherwise followed the recipe as written.
Wonderful dish. Will try with chicken.
Do they soak the okra taking the slime out?
I think this soup would be good with chicken, instead of shrimp, too (for those who don’t like shrimp)