Chupe de camarones (Peruvian shrimp chowder)

Chupe de camarones is a traditional Peruvian shrimp chowder, packed with variety and flavor. It includes a mix of shrimp and vegetables in a smooth, gently creamy and spiced base. It's hearty but not heavy and so delicious.

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When I visited Peru we were often reminded just how varied the landscape is in the country. It's one of the few places in the world to have high mountains, desert, rainforest as well as coastal climates. Linked to this is a range of different foods, drawing on what is available in the different regions. You'll find post-colonial influences as well as many earlier ones.

This Peruvian shrimp soup is a perfect example. Some have assumed it came from the coastal area around Lima since it's base is seafood, but food historians have more recently traced it to the Arequipa region and with origins going back centuries. 

What is a chupe?

Chupe is the generic term for a stew or soup in much of South America. They are particularly common in the mountainous Andes regions of Bolivia, Peru and Chile where eating a filling, warming soup is a popular choice in the cooler climate. 

Arequipa is a city well known for it's diverse cuisine, with many regional dishes, including a number of soups fitting for the moderate to cool temperatures. Many settlers came there from Spain and so various dishes were adapted to European tastes or incorporated European ingredients like dairy. 

This shrimp chupe is believed to trace back to a pre-colonial dish called chuwa misa that was a stew made with llama meat and vegetables. Over time this seafood version evolved, most likely originally with freshwater shrimp or crawfish from the local rivers. The dairy element is a Colonial addition, quite likely to milden the chili spice. 

The end result is one incredibly tasty bowlful that's well worth enjoying. And while it has a few ingredients, it's easy to make at home. 

Ingredients in Peruvian shrimp chowder

While you will naturally find a few variations in this traditional dish, the core elements are pretty constant, as I have kept to here. Most are easy to find with only the odd more unusual ingredient:

• Shrimp - the star of the soup! The size is not that important, but use shell on shrimp as you want to use those shells to make a flavorful stock.
• Potato - did you know potatoes come from Peru? As a local staple ingredient, it's in most chupes to make them heartier (while being cost effective).
• Corn (and peas) - corn is also popular in the region, and this soup typically includes both corn and peas for variety (and color). You typically add the corn as slices of a cob but you can use kernels if you prefer.
• Rice - this adds a bit more bulk to the soup.
• Onion and garlic - these add an aromatic base to the dish.
• Tomato paste - this adds a touch of red color as well as flavor.
• Aji amarillo - this is a common chili pepper in Peru with a bright yellow color. It adds flavor as well as a spicy kick.
• Oregano - just a little for aromatic flavor.
• Queso fresco - it might sound unusual to add cheese to a soup, at least in chunks, but this mild, soft cheese adds a nice extra flavor and texture.
• Evaporated milk - this gives the broth a lovely smooth, creamy finish, without being too heavy, and mildens the chili a little.

Some also add egg on top, often poaching it in the soup. I haven't included that here but you are welcome to add an egg per serving, either cooked in the soup or separately (which is generally easier).

Sourcing and substitutions

Of the ingredients, the only two that may be trickier to find are the aji amarillo and queso fresco. Here you use aji amarillo paste which you can find in many specialist and Latin American stores as well as online. It keeps well in the fridge and can be used for many other Peruvian dishes like papa a la huancaina, aji de gallina and tiradito.

If you can't source it at all, you could potentially use another chili paste. Some, in fact, use aji panca which is another local chili and more red in color. Other chili pastes are an option but the flavor will be that bit different.

Mexican queso fresco is probably more widely available than Peruvian and works well here. If you can't find that, then a mild feta would be another option. Or, you can skip if you prefer though it is tasty in there.

In terms of the other ingredients, all should be easy to find though you can adapt a little to what you have or to diet/taste. You could use other vegetables, for example, though I do recommend as written here as it's a great combination. Using frozen vegetables and defrosting what you need is an easy way to make this as and when you like.

Storing leftovers

If you have any leftovers, this soup keeps well in a sealed container in the fridge for around 2 - 3 days. You can reheat it on the stove or in the microwave when you are ready to use it.

While evaporated milk can stand heat better than regular milk or cream and so is less likely to curdle, I would still tend to recommend that you warm to below a simmer rather than reheating any more than that.

This chupe de camarones, Peruvian shrimp chowder, is as bright in flavor as it is in color. It's packed with tasty shrimp and a range of vegetables and has a lovely smoothness and slight chili kick. It's easy, delicious and really everything you could want in a warming bowlful.

Try these other flavorful bowlfuls:

• Chorba frik (an easy and tasty Algerian soup made with lamb, freekeh, chickpeas and warm spices)
• Tom kha gai (Thai coconut soup, a lovely aromatic soup with chicken and mushroom)
• Sopa de lima (a light Mexican soup with chicken, tortilla strips and lime and chili flavoring the base)
• Plus get more appetizer recipes and South American recipes in the archives.