Sliced Fish Soup Calories Singapore: Clear vs Milky — Full Breakdown
Sliced fish soup — that comforting bowl of tender fish slices in a hot, savoury broth — is quietly one of the smartest orders in any Singapore hawker centre. It regularly shows up on "healthiest hawker food" lists, and per HPB's measured data it earns that reputation even more than most people realise: a plain clear-broth bowl comes in at just 84 kcal. But whether your bowl stays that light or climbs toward 600-plus calories depends almost entirely on the choices you make at the stall.
The short answer: a clear-broth sliced fish soup with fresh fish and no carbs is just 84 kcal per HPB Singapore data — far lighter than the 180 to 300 kcal often assumed. Add bee hoon and a clear broth runs 389 kcal; the milky evaporated-milk version with bee hoon is actually a little lower, at 294 kcal. The heaviest order — milky broth with fried fish and rice — can reach 520 to 620 kcal. This guide breaks the bowl down so you know exactly where the calories sit and how to keep your bowl on the light end.
Sliced Fish Soup: Calorie Comparison Table
The table below compares the main ways you can order sliced fish soup in Singapore, so you can see which choices move the needle most.
| How You Order It | Approx. Calories | Protein | Carbs | Fat |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Clear broth, fresh fish, no carbs | 84 kcal | ~17 g | ~8 g | ~6 g |
| Clear broth, fresh fish, with bee hoon | 389 kcal | ~21 g | ~78 g | ~7 g |
| Clear broth, fresh fish, with rice | ~360–440 kcal | ~27–34 g | ~50–62 g | ~6–11 g |
| Milky broth, fresh fish, with bee hoon | 294 kcal | ~20 g | ~38 g | ~6 g |
| Milky broth, fried fish, with rice | ~520–620 kcal | ~26–33 g | ~55–66 g | ~24–34 g |
Note: Values are based on HPB Singapore food composition data for standard hawker serving sizes. Note the milky-broth-with-bee-hoon row is lower in calories than the clear-broth-with-bee-hoon row above it — a genuine finding in HPB's data, not a typo. Actual calories vary by stall and portion size.
Breaking Down Each Component
Sliced fish soup is best understood as four elements: the fish, the broth, the carb (rice, bee hoon, or none), and the seasonings and garnishes. Each contributes very differently to the final count.
The Fish: Lean Protein Powerhouse
A standard clear-broth bowl (fish, broth, and seasonings together) measures at just 84 kcal per HPB's data for a 561g bowl — noticeably lighter than many people assume, since the broth makes up most of the bowl's weight and fish itself is very lean. It still delivers a meaningful ~17g of protein for that calorie count, making it one of the best protein-per-calorie deals at the entire hawker centre. The catch: many stalls also offer fried fish, which is battered and deep-fried. That swap adds roughly 120 to 180 kcal of frying oil and turns a lean bowl into a heavy one. If weight loss is the goal, always ask for fresh (sometimes called "sliced fish" rather than "fried fish").
The Broth: Clear vs Milky Is Not the Decision You Think It Is
Clear broth: A traditional clear fish or pork-bone broth, with fresh fish and no carbs, comes to just 84 kcal per HPB's measured data. The flavour comes from simmered bones, dried sole fish (ti poh), and sometimes tomatoes and salted vegetable.
Milky broth: That appealing creamy-white broth does not get its colour from long simmering alone — most stalls stir in evaporated milk, which does add calories to a plain bowl. But once bee hoon is added to the mix, HPB's data shows something surprising: the milky-broth-with-bee-hoon bowl comes to 294 kcal, actually lower than the clear-broth-with-bee-hoon bowl at 389 kcal. So "always choose clear over milky to save calories" isn't reliably true once noodles are involved — the fish (fried or fresh) is the bigger lever. Where milky broth does cost you is saturated fat, and clear broth actually tends to run higher in sodium (see below).
The Carbs: Bee Hoon, Rice, or None
A plain bowl with no carbs keeps things at their leanest, at 84 kcal. Adding bee hoon (rice vermicelli) to a clear broth brings the bowl to 389 kcal, while a portion of rice brings it to roughly 360 to 440 kcal. The two are close, but bee hoon is often easier to portion and feels lighter as served. If you want a carb, either is fine — the bigger calorie decisions are whether the fish is fried and how much of the bowl you order overall.
Seasonings and Garnishes
The sliced ginger, spring onion, coriander, and a handful of fried shallots or ikan bilis add only 15 to 40 kcal combined. They are calorically trivial — but the fried shallots, ikan bilis, and the broth itself carry most of the bowl's sodium, which is the real thing to watch with fish soup.
Why Sliced Fish Soup Is a Weight-Loss Favourite
Very few hawker dishes give you a meaningful dose of protein for under 100 calories. A plain clear-broth bowl, at just 84 kcal per HPB data, combines lean protein, low calorie density, and a large volume of hot liquid — a combination that makes it unusually filling for what it costs you calorie-wise. Protein and water volume both drive satiety, so you tend to feel full and stay full longer than you would after, say, a plate of char kway teow at more than ten times the calories.
The thing that quietly undoes this advantage the most is fried fish and rice, not the milky broth on its own. Order fried fish with rice in a milky broth and you have turned an 84-calorie bowl into one costing 520 to 620 kcal. Keep the fish fresh and be mindful of how much carb you add, and sliced fish soup stays one of the strongest choices on the whole hawker menu — clear or milky.
How to Order a Leaner Bowl at the Hawker Centre
You can realistically keep sliced fish soup under 100 calories with a few simple requests — none of which are unusual to ask for.
- Choose fresh sliced fish over fried fish. This is the single highest-impact request — keeps the fish lean and saves roughly 120–180 kcal of frying oil.
- Go carb-light if you want the leanest bowl. A plain bowl with no carbs is just 84 kcal; bee hoon or rice brings it to 290–440 kcal depending on the broth.
- Don't assume clear broth is automatically lower-calorie once noodles are added. Per HPB data, milky broth with bee hoon (294 kcal) can actually be lower than clear broth with bee hoon (389 kcal).
- Don't drink all the broth if you're watching sodium. Clear broth in particular runs high in sodium — leaving the last third cuts your salt load without touching the protein.
- Keep the fish and vegetables. These are the nutrient-dense, calorie-reasonable parts. Fried batter is where the biggest extra calories hide.
- Add extra fish, not extra carbs. If you want a bigger meal, more fish keeps the protein high while barely moving fat.
Comparing Sliced Fish Soup to Other Hawker Dishes
| Hawker Dish | Approx. Calories (standard serving) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sliced fish soup (clear, no carbs) | 84 kcal | Lean, high protein — a top weight-loss pick |
| Sliced fish bee hoon (clear) | ~389 kcal | Balanced protein and carbs |
| Fishball noodle soup | 519 kcal | Considerably heavier than a plain fish soup bowl |
| Bak chor mee (soup) | 539 kcal | Watch the lard and the noodle portion |
| Milky fish soup + fried fish + rice | ~520–620 kcal | Fried batter and rice push it up fast |
| Laksa | 429 kcal | Rich-tasting, but not the heaviest option here |
In context, a plain clear sliced fish soup sits dramatically below the rest of the hawker spectrum — at 84 kcal it's a fraction of even a bowl of laksa (429 kcal), while still delivering solid protein. Once you add noodles, the gap narrows fast: a bee-hoon or rice version of fish soup lands in a similar range to fishball noodle soup and bak chor mee, and the fried-fish, milky, with-rice version can end up costing more than laksa.
Tracking Sliced Fish Soup with NutriKaki
Sliced fish soup is exactly the kind of dish where a global calorie database gets it wrong — a single crowdsourced entry can't tell the difference between an 84-calorie plain bowl and a 600-calorie fried-fish, milky, with-rice order. NutriKaki, Singapore's hawker-first calorie tracker powered by HPB food composition data, lets you log the specific bowl you actually ordered — clear or milky, fresh or fried fish, with or without carbs — using values calibrated to real Singapore hawker portions.
Log your bowl in seconds, and the app shows where you stand against your daily calorie and protein targets for the rest of the day.
Frequently Asked Questions
A clear-broth sliced fish soup with fresh fish and no carbs contains approximately 84 kcal per HPB Singapore data — far lighter than commonly assumed, and one of the leanest hawker meals available. Adding bee hoon to a clear broth brings it to roughly 389 kcal. Milky broth with fresh fish and bee hoon is actually lower, at about 294 kcal, while the heaviest order — milky broth with fried fish and rice — can reach 520 to 620 kcal.
It depends what else is in the bowl. Plain clear broth with no carbs is extremely low, at just 84 kcal. But when bee hoon is added, HPB data shows the milky version (294 kcal) is actually lower in calories than the clear version (389 kcal) — the opposite of what most people assume. The bigger calorie lever is whether the fish is fried, not whether the broth is clear or milky. Sodium tells a different story too: clear broth tends to carry more sodium than milky broth, not less.
Yes. A clear sliced fish soup with fresh (not fried) fish and no carbs is high in lean protein, low in fat, and very filling for its calorie count — around 84 kcal per HPB data. It is one of the best hawker choices for weight loss. The main watch-out is sodium: clear broth can carry around 2,400 mg per bowl if you drink all the broth, actually more than the milky version's roughly 1,400 mg.
Battered and deep-fried fish adds roughly 120 to 180 kcal more than the same portion of fresh sliced fish, mostly from the frying oil absorbed by the batter. Fresh fish keeps the bowl lean and high in protein; fried fish turns it into a much heavier meal.
Both are similar in calories, but many people find bee hoon (rice vermicelli) easier to portion and slightly lighter as served. A plain bowl with no carbs is the leanest option if you are watching calories. If you want the carbs, either bee hoon or a small portion of rice is fine.
Calorie values are estimates based on HPB Singapore food composition data and standard Singapore hawker serving sizes. Actual values vary by stall, portion size, and cooking method. This content is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute medical or dietary advice. Consult a registered dietitian for personalised nutrition guidance. Nutrition data referenced in this article is used under licence from the Health Promotion Board (HPB) of Singapore and may not be redistributed, republished, or reused commercially without NutriKaki's prior written permission.