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Halászlé
Spicy carp soup
Halászlé: Hungarian fisherman's soup with carp and hot paprika
Halászlé is the fiery fisherman's soup of the rivers Tisza and Danube, and on Christmas Eve it is on almost every Hungarian table; the towns of Szeged and Baja each claim the best version. A rich stock is made from fish heads and bones with onions and lots of paprika, sieved until smooth and red, and then thick slices of carp (or catfish) are poached in it at the last moment. Serve with white bread and fresh hot peppers. Chef's tip: poach the fish fillets without stirring; just swirl the pot so the pieces stay whole.
- Total time
- 105 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the stock
- 3 onionsroughly chopped
- 1 green pepperchopped
- 1 tomatochopped
- 8 ¼ cups water
- 2 tsp salt
For the soup
- 3 tbsp Hungarian sweet paprika
- 1 tsp hot paprika
- 2 ¼ lb carp or catfish filletscut into 5 cm pieces
- 2 fresh hot pepperssliced, to serve
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Rinse 1 ¾ lb fish heads, bones and tails (carp or other freshwater fish), gills removed well. Put them in a large pot with 3 onions, 1 green pepper, 1 tomato, 8 ¼ cups water and 2 tsp salt. Bring to the boil, then simmer gently, uncovered, for 1 hour.
60 minStep 2: Pass the stock through a sieve, pressing hard on the onions and soft fish pieces so they thicken it. Discard the bones and skin left in the sieve. Then strain once more through a fine sieve to be sure no small bones remain.
10 minStep 3: Return the stock to a wide pot, whisk in 3 tbsp Hungarian sweet paprika and 1 tsp hot paprika and bring to a simmer.
3 minStep 4: Add 2 ¼ lb carp or catfish fillets in a single layer and simmer very gently for 10–12 minutes, shaking the pot instead of stirring, until the fish is opaque and flakes easily. Carp has fine Y-shaped bones; score the fillets finely every 5 mm before cooking or warn diners to eat carefully. A common mistake is boiling hard; the fish breaks up.
12 minStep 5: Taste for salt and serve in deep bowls with 2 fresh hot peppers on the side.
2 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 310 kcal
- Protein
- 34 g
- Carbs
- 10 g
- Fat
- 14 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does halászlé take?
- About 105 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 75 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it gluten free?
- Yes, as written. Check the labels on stock, sauces and spice mixes, which sometimes contain gluten.
- Is it very spicy?
- It has some heat. Use less chilli for a milder version, or more if you like it hot.
- What can I use instead of onions?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of tomato?
- Tinned chopped tomatoes: a 400g tin for about 6 tomatoes (in cooked dishes, not salads).
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