Recipe
🥙 LUNCH
Sopa de Caracol
A rich conch soup in coconut broth with yuca, plantain, and corn, the Garifuna coastal dish Honduras made famous.
Honduran · medium · serves 4
prep 25 min · cook 40 min
~824 cal · 35g protein · 77g carbs · 44g fat · 8g fiber · 16g sugars · 38g sat fat (estimated, per serving)
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Sopa de caracol, conch soup, is one of Honduras's most iconic dishes, rooted in the cooking of the Garifuna people of the Caribbean coast. It became a nationwide sensation in the 1990s when a Honduran band turned it into a hit song that played across Latin America.
The broth is built on , rich and fragrant, simmered with the sweet, chewy conch (caracol) and a raft of : , green , corn, and carrot. Culantro and a little chile lift it, and thickens it.
It is the taste of the coast, of Roatan and the Bay Islands and the Garifuna towns of the mainland, served in a deep bowl as a full and celebratory meal. Where conch is scarce, other seafood stands in, but the coconut broth is non-negotiable.
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Make it yours
✓ Naturally gluten-, dairy-, egg- and pork-free. No swaps needed.
Toggle a diet and the ingredients rewrite themselves with regional substitutes.
🥕 Vegetarian
🌱 Vegan
🌾 Gluten-Free
🥛 Dairy-Free
🥜 Nut-Free
🥚 Egg-Free
🐖 Pork-Free
Dietary labels are a cooking guide, not allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish; we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, read the label on every product you use, and note that a kitchen can cross-contaminate in ways a recipe cannot control.
Ingredients
US
Metric
Serves 4
1 lb conch meat, cleaned and sliced
Hard to find? chopped clams or whelk - whelk is nearest in chew; frozen conch from a Caribbean or Asian fishmonger is better than either
3 cups
1 lb (), chunked
1 green , chunked
1 corn on the cob, in rounds
1 carrot, sliced
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 handful fresh culantro or cilantro
1 chile, to taste
Instructions
1
Soften the onion and garlic in a pot, then add the coconut milk and a couple of cups of water and bring to a simmer.
2
Add the yuca, plantain, corn, and carrot and cook until the provisions are nearly tender.
3
Add the sliced conch and simmer just until tender.
✎ Chef’s note
Conch turns rubbery if boiled hard. Add it near the end and keep the broth at a gentle simmer so it stays sweet and just-tender.
4
Season with culantro, chile, and salt, and serve in deep bowls.
Honduran Garifuna coastal tradition.
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🌏 While it simmers, know your destination
📍
San Pedro Sula. The baleada is credited to the north coast and to La Ceiba rather than to this city, though the whole region eats them daily. The flour tortilla is thick and soft, the crema is Honduran mantequilla blanca, thinner and more sour than the name suggests, and the cheese is queso duro, salty and dry.
🗺️
Honduras. The baleada belongs to the north coast, and La Ceiba rather than San Pedro Sula is where it is generally credited. It is a thick flour tortilla folded around refried beans, mantequilla blanca, which is a soured cream rather than butter, and crumbled queso duro, with egg or avocado added for a bigger version.
🌍
North America. North America's table began with Indigenous foodways, the "three sisters" of corn, beans, and squash, plus chiles, tomatoes, and cacao, then layered on colonial, African, and immigrant influences. From Mexico's UNESCO-recognized cuisine to the Cajun and Creole pots of Louisiana and the fiery jerk of the Caribbean, the region turns ancient staples into something new. Barbecue, tacos, gumbo, and mole all carry stories of migration and adaptation.
The story behind this dish is up top, worth a read while the pot works.
More from Honduras
BaleadasA thick flour tortilla folded over refried beans, salty cheese, and crema, Honduras’ perfect handheld meal.
Pollo con TajadasHonduran fried or grilled chicken over crisp green-plantain chips with cabbage slaw and sauces.
Rosquillas en MielLittle corn-and-cheese rings simmered in a dark spiced sugar syrup, a Honduran and Central American sweet.
Browse all Honduras recipes →
Good to know
You’ll need: Pot or saucepan.
Storing it: Soup keeps 3 to 4 days refrigerated and freezes well. Reheat gently and loosen with a little water or stock if needed.
Make it a Honduras meal
Horchata HondureñaDrink
Rosquillas en MielDessert
Pollo con TajadasDinner
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Frequently asked questions
What is Sopa de Caracol?
A rich conch soup in coconut broth with yuca, plantain, and corn, the Garifuna coastal dish Honduras made famous.
Where does Sopa de Caracol come from?
Sopa de Caracol is a Honduran dish from San Pedro Sula, Honduras.
Can Sopa de Caracol be made vegan, gluten-free, or dairy-free?
This Sopa de Caracol recipe includes substitution suggestions for vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, nut-free, egg-free, and pork-free versions, including several at once such as gluten-free and dairy-free together. Treat them as a starting guide rather than a guarantee, and see the allergen note below.
Is Sopa de Caracol safe for people with food allergies?
Our dietary labels and substitutions are a cooking guide, not medical or allergen-safety advice. We track dairy, egg, gluten, tree nuts and peanuts (we count coconut as a tree nut, following FDA labeling), fish, and shellfish, but we do not screen for sesame, soy, mustard, celery, or sulphites. If you have a food allergy, always read the label on every product you use, and remember a home or commercial kitchen can cross-contaminate ingredients in ways a recipe cannot control.
How long does Sopa de Caracol take to make?
About 65 minutes total (25 minutes prep, 40 minutes cooking), serving 4.
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