Ukha, an ancient Russian dish, has its own hierarchy since ancient times. The fact is that a transparent and aromatic broth is never prepared from one type of fish - at least from two or three. Therefore, both the taste and the name of the dish depend on which company of fish is in your pot. So-called, "white" ear obtained from pike perch, perch and ruff. "Black" ear cooked from crucian carp, carp, rudd, etc. Noble "red" prepared from salmon, nelma, sturgeon and sterlet.
And there are so many local recipes for fish soup! “Plastovaya” is made from salted, dried and flattened fish. In addition to dried fish, dried or fresh mushrooms are added to “flaccid” “Chudskaya” or “Pskovskaya” soup is cooked from smelt , “Onezhskaya” “Pomeranian” is made from cod and halibut . The fish soup made from burbot is also famous - “mnevaya” (from “men” - “burbot”).
The dish clearly deserves special attention and even study, but in the meantime, here are some useful tips and recipes for avid fishermen or simply for those who like to cook fish.
- The less water and more types of fish, the tastier the fish soup. Small seasonal fish, which fishermen often disdain, are ideal for fish soup. It makes a very tasty broth.
- Do not overdo it with spices - they can kill the delicate taste of the fish soup. Usually bay leaves and black peppercorns are enough. Cumin also “sounds” good in the ear.
- If you decide on an “amber” fish soup, brew a few threads of saffron separately in a cup with hot broth (the bay leaf is no longer added in this case) and pour it into a saucepan removed from the heat - the fish soup will become golden and aromatic.
Hungarian soup
Halastle is what this soup is called in Hungary. Unlike our fish soup, Hungarian fish soup must contain a lot of paprika, tomatoes and pepper. Halastle is prepared from lake and river fish, of which there is a lot in Hungary. Hungarians love this fish soup so much that they hold several festivals in its honor.
Halastle, Hungarian fish soup
To prepare 4-6 servings you need:
- 1 kg of small river fish (perch, ruffe, roach, crucian carp)
- 2 medium carp or carp (about 2 kg)
- 3 liters of drinking water
- 3 tbsp. l. ground sweet paprika
- 2 onions
- 4 large multi-colored sweet peppers
- 1–2 hot chili peppers
- 4-5 large tomatoes or 400 g chopped tomatoes in s/s
- 3–4 cloves of garlic
- olive oil
- wide noodles, preferably homemade
- salt, freshly ground black pepper
- Clean small fish and carp (carp) from scales and entrails. Cut off the head of the carp, cut out the gills, cut off the tail. Place the small fish, head and tail of the carp in a large saucepan, add water and bring to a boil.
- Cut carp (carp) carcasses crosswise into pieces 2 cm thick, salt, pepper and sprinkle with paprika. Transfer to a plate, cover with film and refrigerate while the broth cooks.
- Finely chop the onion. Fry the onion with olive oil until light golden brown. Cut the sweet pepper in half, remove the membranes and seeds. Cut one pepper into strips.
- When the broth boils, reduce the heat and skim off the foam. Add fried onions and chopped bell peppers, half or whole hot peppers (with or without seeds). Cook the broth, covered, for 1.5 hours.
- Remove the carp head from the broth. Strain the broth through a fine sieve lined with cheesecloth into a clean saucepan. Squeeze the fish and vegetables very thoroughly; they will no longer be needed.
- If using fresh tomatoes, peel them by pouring boiling water over them and placing them in cold water. Cut into medium cubes. If the tomatoes are canned, there is no need to prepare them specially. Cut the remaining sweet pepper into not very long strips. Peel and chop the garlic.
- Place the pan with the broth on the fire and bring to a boil. Add the carp pieces and bring to a boil again, skim off the foam. Add paprika and salt and cook for 10 minutes. at a slight boil.
- Add the remaining sweet peppers to the broth after 5 minutes. add tomatoes. Cook for 3 minutes, add garlic, pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes, then remove the pan from the heat and leave covered for 10-15 minutes.
- Cook homemade noodles in salted boiling water according to package instructions and serve on plates. Pour in the broth and place a piece of fish into plates. Garnish with hot pepper and serve immediately.
How to deliciously salt curd fish in jars at home?
Dried and salted peled are good as a snack. To salt, it is better to choose larger fish carcasses. They are pickled in 1.5 liter glass jars.
You will need:
- 0.5 kg of peled;
- 2 onions;
- 5 g mustard seed;
- 30 g salt;
- 1 tsp. peppercorns;
- 5 g sugar;
- 3 bay leaves;
- 1 tsp vinegar 70%.
Cooking process with photos:
1. Pour 0.5 liters of water into a 1 liter saucepan. Put salt, pepper, mustard seed, vinegar, sugar and bay leaf there. This will be the marinade for peled. Boil it for 3 minutes and then cool.
2. Rinse fresh fish well, remove scales and entrails. Remove the head, tails and fins and then rinse again. Now the cheese needs to be dried. It is convenient to use paper towels for this.
3. Cut the carcasses into pieces. The thickness of each is about one and a half centimeters.
4. Before marinating, remove all excess films and mucus. It is convenient to do this by thoroughly rubbing the fish with salt. Then rinse it thoroughly so as not to overdo the saltiness of the dish.
5. Peel the onion and cut into half rings. It needs to be placed alternately with fish pieces in jars. You will have a layer of fish, a layer of onion, then again fish and onions. And so on to the top of the container.
6. Pour the cooled marinade into the jars and close with plastic lids. They need to be boiled first.
7. Place the jars in a cool place.
After 12 hours, the pickled peled will be ready. According to this recipe, it will turn out lightly salted and very tasty.
Donskaya ear
Fans of the dish will tell you that real Don fish soup is cooked over a fire, only from freshly caught fish and always with water from the Don. Let's not object to them. But if you are not yet on the Don, is it worth giving up this wonderful summer dish? Of course not. Instead of pike perch, you can use carp, it will also turn out delicious.
Donskaya ear
To prepare 4-6 servings you need:
- 2 medium pike perch
- 6 river perches, large crucian carp or gobies
- 6–8 potatoes
- 5–6 tomatoes
- 1 carrot
- 2 onions
- bunch of greens (dill, parsley, green onions)
- 2 bay leaves
- 5 peas each of black and allspice
- salt, freshly ground black pepper
- Gut the fish and remove the gills. Cut off the heads and tails of pike perch. Make a cut along the back and fillet the pike perch. Trim the fillet from the skin. Place the bones, heads and tails, as well as the perches, in a large saucepan, add enough drinking water to cover the fish and add another 2-2.5 cups. Put it on fire. When the water boils, remove the foam with a slotted spoon and reduce the heat.
- Remove the top layer of skin from the bulbs and cut in half. Place cut side down in a hot, dry frying pan and fry briefly until the surface is browned. Transfer the onion to the broth, this will give it a beautiful golden color. Cook the broth for 1 hour at a gentle simmer.
- Strain the finished broth through a sieve or cheesecloth into a clean saucepan.
- Cut the pike perch fillet into large portions. Peel the potatoes and carrots, cut the carrots into slices, leave the potatoes whole. Peel the tomatoes by pouring boiling water over them and placing them in cold water. Cut into small ones.
- Bring the broth to a boil, add salt and potatoes. After 5 min. add carrots, bay leaf and spices. In another 10 minutes. add the fish and tomatoes and cook for about 10 minutes until the potatoes are tender.
- Remove the fish soup from the heat, remove the bay leaf and add finely chopped herbs. Cover the pan with a lid and leave for 15–20 minutes.
Origin of the word "ear"
There are different versions of the origin of the name. According to one version, the name comes from the consonant word “ear”. According to researchers, in ancient times soups were often prepared with broths and people liked to add trimmings of animal heads to them; ears were often added.
According to another version, the name goes back to the Indo-European word jus, meaning “decoction”, a modified version of which jucha formed the word “ear”. By the way, the Ukrainian and Belarusian languages also have the same root word “yushka”.
Fisherman's soup made from ruff with cream
When it comes to preparing fish soup, we especially trust experienced fishermen: they, as a rule, know how to not only catch fish, but also cook it. We received this recipe from Vladimir, the head of the fishing base “Alimovsky Plyos”, on the Akhtuba River, in the lower reaches of the Volga . This ear is his favorite. It tastes best on the river bank from freshly caught fish, so it is better to cook it there, in a pot. But try it at home - it will be delicious.
The secret of the special taste of fish soup cooked over a fire is that at the very end, when it is ready, the hot firebrand is quickly lowered into the pot and immediately removed. In this recipe you can do without cream, but then the volume of water increases to 3–3.5 liters
Fisherman's soup made from ruff with cream
To prepare 4-5 servings you need:
- 40 small ruffs
- 2 liters of drinking water
- 3 onions
- 1 large carrot
- 4 small potatoes
- vegetable oil
- 2 medium handfuls of millet
- 1 large pike perch fillet (500–700 g)
- 1–1.5 liters of cream 10% fat
- salt, black peppercorns
- Place live ruffs into a pot, pour in 2 liters of cold water and leave for the ruffes to swim and fall asleep for 15–20 minutes. Carefully, so as not to prick yourself, remove the ruffs (save the water that should thicken from the “fish glue”), gut the fish and rinse.
- Place the gutted ruffs in a metal colander or sieve. Place a colander in a pot of ruff water so that the fish is partially covered with this water. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat, simmer for 15–20 minutes, remove the pot from the heat (you will no longer need the brushes). Strain the broth.
- Chop the onions and carrots very finely. Cut the potatoes into small cubes. Heat 4-6 tbsp in a cauldron. l. oil, add onion, fry, stirring all the time so as not to burn, 5 minutes. Remove the onion with a slotted spoon, add the carrots to the remaining oil in the pot, and fry for 5 minutes. Return the onion to the pot, pour in the prepared broth, bring to a boil, cook for 10 minutes.
- Place the potatoes and millet in the pot, bring to a boil, cook until the millet is almost ready, 20–30 minutes. Cut the pike perch fillet into small pieces, fry separately in oil on all sides until golden brown.
- When the potatoes and millet are cooked, pour cream into the pot (depending on the thickness of the fish soup you want), add the pike perch, salt and pepper to taste. Cook for another 7–10 minutes. Serve very hot.
Useful properties of fish soup
Ukha stimulates digestion very well, increases the secretion of gastric juice and pancreatic enzymes. Fish broth is an excellent source of strength and vigor. Its regular use helps strengthen the immune system.
Due to its high phosphorus content, it has a beneficial effect on the nervous system and increases performance. The iodine contained in fish is essential for the endocrine system.
A very important element for metabolism are polyunsaturated fatty acids Omega-3 and Omega-6. The human body is not capable of producing them on its own. Fish, especially sea fish, contains large amounts of Omega-3. Omega-6 is also present, but to a lesser extent. Sufficient consumption of these acids helps prevent cardiovascular diseases. They are also extremely important for vision, hair, skin, lowering cholesterol levels in the blood, and regulating calcium levels in the body.
The ear contains vitamins C, PP, D, and B vitamins.
And this is not a complete list of the beneficial properties of fish broth.
It is worth noting that fish soup is a low-calorie dish and is therefore recommended for dietary nutrition.
Fishing soup with pike, pike perch and salmon optional
If you are cooking real fisherman's soup, you can follow the Russian tradition: a couple of minutes before it is ready, pour 50 ml of vodka into the pan. According to chefs, it “raises” and makes the taste of the fish soup brighter and more expressive. If you are preparing the dish at home, instead of 1 kg of pike perch, take 500 g of salmon and 500 g of pike perch to make the soup more rich.
Fisherman's soup with pike, pike perch and salmon
To prepare 4-6 servings you need:
- 800 g small fish (ruff, perch)
- 1 onion
- 1 parsley root
- 2-3 black peppercorns
- 2 liters of drinking water
- 300 g cleaned pike
- 1 kg cleaned pike perch
- 2-3 potatoes
- 1 small bay leaf
- small bunch of green onions
- small bunch of dill
- 100 g vodka
- salt
- Place small fish, onion, parsley and black peppercorns in a saucepan. Pour in cold water and bring to a boil. Skim off the foam and cook for 30 minutes. The fish should be completely boiled. Strain the broth and discard the fish.
- Cut pike and pike perch into large pieces. Boil in broth for 15–20 minutes, skimming off foam. Cut the potatoes into cubes and add to the broth along with the bay leaf. Cook for another 10 minutes.
- Add finely chopped greens. Season with salt and pepper, stir and remove from heat. Leave covered for 10 minutes. Pour in vodka, leave for 2-3 minutes. and pour the fish soup into serving bowls. Add more finely chopped herbs if desired.
A hearty version of fish soup with potatoes and tomatoes
Fish soup cannot be called a hearty dish. The classic cooking option involves the use of fish and excludes the use of potatoes. The dish that will be served for a hot lunch can be prepared with potatoes and tomatoes. The recipe involves using all the necessary spices, so the taste will not fundamentally change.
Ingredients:
- Clean water ─ 3 liters.
- Fish trimmings ─ 1 kg.
- Fish fillet ─ 500 g.
- Onions ─ 3 pcs.
- Carrots ─ 2 pcs.
- Potatoes ─ 4 pcs.
- Tomatoes ─ 3 pcs.
- Bay leaf ─ 2 pcs.
- Black peppercorns ─ 4 pcs.
- Dill and parsley ─ a bunch.
- Salt to taste.
- Ground pepper ─ to taste.
Cooking process:
- The water is sent to the fire and brought to a boil. After boiling, add 1 part of fish trimmings. After boiling, remove the foam and boil the broth for 20 minutes.
- After 20 minutes, add the second part of the fish scraps to the broth and repeat the procedure.
- After 20 minutes, add a third of the fish, boil it for 15 minutes, remove the broth from the stove and strain it through a sieve.
- The purified broth is sent to the fire, and a whole onion without husk is added to it. Boil for 20 minutes.
- The potatoes are washed under running water, peeled and cut into cubes. Carrots are cut into circles, semi-circles or strips. Vegetables are placed in the broth and cooked for 15 minutes at low boil.
- Add fish fillet, peppercorns and bay leaf to the broth
- Boil the fish over low heat for 7-10 minutes.
- Immediately after laying the fish, add small tomatoes cut in half. If desired, you can pour a shot of vodka into the pan.
- Before the fish soup is ready, add chopped dill and add salt and pepper to taste.
- Remove the dish from the stove and leave under a closed lid for about 15 minutes.
Bon appetit.
Fish soup made from ruffs and burbot
Burbot, a cold-loving and voracious predator, does not like heat, so in the summer it hides under snags, in deep holes and does not go for fishing rods or donks.
Save this recipe and use it whenever burbot is in season - spring, fall and winter. You will not regret it - the fish soup made from this fish is valued by connoisseurs, just like sterlet fish. You need to try it at least once!
Burbot ear
To prepare 4-5 servings you need:
- 2-3 pieces of small burbot (total weight approximately 1.5 kg)
- 20 ruffes (or small perches, or minnows)
- 2.5 l drinking water
- 1 onion
- a few black peppercorns
- fresh dill
- salt
- Clean and gut the burbot, remove the milk and liver. Remove the fins, tail and head. Cut into portions.
- Wrap the ruffs in cheesecloth, add cold water and bring to a boil. Leave the pan on the edge of the stove or, in the case of a kettle, move it away from the center of the fire and skim off the foam. In 10 minutes. Bring to a boil again, remove from heat and leave covered for 15 minutes. Cut the onion into thick rings.
- Strain the broth. Add the burbot pieces, pepper and onion and cook until tender, 15 minutes. Add some salt.
- Place the liver and milk into the broth for 5 minutes. until the end of cooking. Remove from heat, leave for 7-10 minutes. Before serving, sprinkle with chopped dill. And the burbot ear does not tolerate any vodka or logs!
Fish soup recipes by type
Pike perch, perch, ruff - as a rule, white fish soup is prepared from these fish. Sometimes a portion of burbot, catfish, tench or ide is added.
Crucian carp, carp, carp, rudd are fish that are suitable for black fish soup.
Red fish soup is prepared from sturgeon, beluga, salmon, and stellate sturgeon. You can also tint the red ear with saffron and its name will change to amber.
If the fish soup is called triple, it means that three different types of fish were used.
Types of fish soup according to cooking method
If there are several types of fish in an ear, then this ear is called mixed.
Protected ear, its main difference is the presence of eggs in the ear. There are two ways to prepare this fish soup. In the first option, during cooking, the not fully cooked fish is taken out, rolled in flour with a beaten egg, fried in a frying pan and sent back into the broth until fully cooked. The second preparation option: fish, vegetables and herbs are boiled in a clay pot, after which a beaten egg is added, without stirring, left until fully cooked.
Dry fish soup - made from dried fish and the addition of dried mushrooms.
If you increase the amount of carrots in the ear, you can get a sweet ear.
There are also lovers of crayfish soup; the fish is cooked together with crayfish.
Poured soup is a fish soup that is prepared from still living fish. Ungutted, live fish are poured with boiling water. Fish giblets can add a specific taste to a dish, so this option for preparing fish soup is not for everyone.
How to cook fish soup correctly?
The first secret: choose the right fish.
Choose only fresh fish for your fish soup. Here are the types of fish that are best suited for this soup: perch, carp, pike perch, crucian carp, carp, pike. Among the sea fish that are suitable for fish broth, cod, sea bass, halibut and notothenia are useful.
Experienced fishermen advise: prepare fish soup from different varieties of fish. In addition, to make the broth rich and tasty, add more fish to less water.
The second secret: a set of ingredients.
For a good fish soup you need to use a minimum of ingredients and spices, otherwise you will overwhelm the main taste and aroma. As a rule, vegetables should be chopped coarsely, except for the onion: it is placed whole or in two halves.
Secret three: preparation.
Cook the fish soup without a lid over low heat, and be sure to remove the foam that appears by the time it boils - then you will have a clean and transparent broth with a unique aroma, but without a characteristic odor.
Cooking time for fish is also important: overcooked fish loses all value and taste. For freshwater species – 7–20 minutes (larger pieces – cook longer); marine varieties need even less, 7–12 minutes; large Siberian fish takes about half an hour to cook.
In addition, place the carcasses in a slightly boiled vegetable broth, or just in water - more flavor will be retained.
Secret four: don't stir.
Secret five: salt.
It’s best to salt fish soup in a saucepan only before putting the plates on the table, otherwise you can ruin all your cooking efforts. The best salt is sea salt.
This is where the secrets end. Now, having learned the intricacies of its preparation, you can easily cook excellent soup!
how to cook fish soup step by step photo recipe
Fisherman's soup
This is a special dish both in terms of preparation technology and composition of ingredients. Usually fishermen store their good catch to bring home. And on the spot they eat what they usually give to cats. But this small fish is very fresh, often alive. The fish soup is cooked over a fire in a cast iron pot, which gives the dish a special smoky aroma. The fishermen do not have any vegetables with them. But they must have pearl barley, which they use as bait on the hook. Therefore, the question of what kind of grain to cook fish soup with is idle.
- The small fish is poured with cold water and placed on the fire. Cook for a long time until you get a thick, even slightly viscous broth.
- Then they filter and throw away the fish. Put the pot on the fire again.
- Throw two or three tablespoons of pearl barley into the ear for three liters of soup. The small fish smells like mud. You need to get rid of the smell. Therefore, fishermen pour vodka (a glass or two) into the fish soup. The alcohol in the taste of the soup is not felt - it immediately evaporates in boiling water. But vodka neutralizes the unpleasant odor and also makes the water softer.
- In the end, the fishermen extinguish the burning brand in their ears. It gives the food an additional smoky flavor and further eliminates the smell of mud.
- The fish soup is cooked without a lid. But before serving, the dish is infused.
Recipes for Finnish fish soup with melted cheese
Finnish national cuisine is very rich in fish dishes. Local cuisine often uses products of natural origin: fish, mushrooms, berries, game.
Fish soup is a popular recipe in Finnish cuisine. Finns approach the preparation of dishes very responsibly, paying attention to all the subtleties of the recipe. And although in this country they believe that only their local chefs actually prepare fish soup in Finnish correctly, however, if you follow the recipe and the sequence of all steps, you can prepare this delicious dish at home.
Even those who don’t have a particular passion for fish will enjoy the dish. The taste of the fish soup is creamy and delicate, and it is prepared quite quickly and simply. Fish soup in Finland is a festive dish. Usually prepared with milk or cream. Thanks to them, the dish acquires a soft, creamy texture.
It is prepared mainly from red fish. They use, for example, pink salmon, salmon, trout, and chum salmon. Adding melted cheese gives the dish a particularly refined taste. In this case, adding milk or cream is not necessary.
Vegetables for fish soup in Finnish style are sautéed, as a rule, in butter. The finished dish is served hot with fresh herbs.
There are many recipes for this delicious dish. We would like to introduce you to some of them.
