History and origin
The coastal broth, hot, nourishing and ever-changing
Caldo de pescado is a broad title: it names a broth cooked with fish, not a single formula. On the Almería coast, these soups belong to home cooking that makes the most of the day's catch. Potatoes, tomato, garlic, pimentón or roasted peppers thicken and perfume an orange-hued liquid in which mackerel, sardines, boquerones or other local fish simmer.
Within this broad family, two broths keep identities of their own. Caldo de pimentón joins fish and potato with a dried-pepper majado added without a sofrito; caldo quemao begins with a sofrito and fried garlic and dried pepper. Both accompany flour-based dishes such as migas or gachas, yet their flavour and technique invite tasting them separately.
A family caldo de pescado may be light or more deeply bound, with the fish still recognisable and vegetables giving body to the broth. Served piping hot, it connects the home kitchens of the shore with inland tables on cool or rainy days.
