This “Gourmet” Boxed Broth Is My Secret to the Most Delicious Soups (It’s Impossibly Good)

I’m married to a pescatarian, so while most folks are leaning into chicken noodle at the start of soup season, I’m making a lot of seafood-based soups and stews like cioppino, bouillabaisse, and Manhattan clam chowder. These soups require seafood broth, and because I don’t have time (or the inclination) to make my own fish stock, and tiny bottles of clam juice are middling at best, I turn to Aneto Seafood Paella Base to get my seafood soups and stews started.

Aneto is a Barcelona-based gourmet food company that makes all of its broths and paella bases without concentrates, dehydrated ingredients, yeast extracts, or MSG, unlike many other boxed broths. Its seafood paella base is a thick broth that tastes like rich shellfish stock (think lobster bisque without the cream), tomatoes, and a hint of saffron. It’s definitely got a touch of brininess, but it’s not fishy in any sense, which is a relief, because the other canned seafood broths I’ve tried have smelled a little too much like the sea, if you know what I mean.  

The ingredient list includes monkfish, cod, crab, mussels, prawns, vegetables, paprika, and saffron, and, notably, no fillers or other flavor enhancers. It comes in one-liter aseptic boxes (about 4 1/4 cups), and while it’s not cheap (I can find it at a local gourmet market for about $13), the flavor is so rich and yummy, there’s very little else I have to add to a soup to make it great, so I think it’s money very well spent. 

It’s excellent in paella, of course, but it can do so much more! Use Aneto Seafood Paella Base in any recipe that calls for seafood stock (or clam juice) and tomatoes. My favorite last-minute soup is a slightly simplified version of this cioppino (aka seafood stew). I saute onions and fennel, add a box of Aneto, chunks of cod and shrimp, and perhaps a pinch of Italian seasoning, and end up with a steaming bowl of soup in about 30 minutes. (Garlic bread is not optional.) 

I’ve also used the boxed base as a jumping-off point for a Pacific Northwest version of the French seafood stew bouillabaisse, adding mussels, clams, and Dungeness crab legs. Aside from soup, I’ve found that the richness of the liquid lends incredible flavor to seafood risotto, gumbo, jambalaya, and shrimp pasta, too. For this seafood-loving family, Aneto Seafood Paella base is our golden ticket to quick meals. 

Buy: Aneto Seafood Paella Broth, $18.99 for 33.83 ounces at Amazon

What’s your favorite store-bought broth? Tell us about it in the comments below.