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Ukha
Clear river fish soup
Ukha (уха): clear Volga fish soup of river fish, potato, onion, bay and dill
Fishermen on the Volga sandbanks make ukha in a blackened pot over driftwood with whatever is in the net, perch, pike-perch, a small pike, and it is still the soup cooked at dachas on summer evenings. The point is clarity: a light, pale-gold broth that tastes cleanly of fish, with soft potatoes, a whole onion simmered in and a fistful of dill at the end. It is served with black bread and a squeeze of lemon. A common mistake is letting the pot boil hard, which clouds the broth and breaks the fish into flakes. Chef's tip: simmer the bones and trimmings first for the stock and only then poach clean fillets in it, so you get both a rich broth and neat pieces of fish.
- Total time
- 50 min
- Difficulty
- easy
- Serves
- 4
Ingredients
For the broth
For the soup
- 14 oz potatoescut into 2 cm cubes
- 1 carrotsliced
- 16 oz skinless fillets of pike-perch, perch or codcut into 4 cm pieces
- ⅔ oz fresh dillchopped
- 3 spring onionssliced
To serve
- 1 lemon (optional)in wedges
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Method
0/6 doneStep 1: Put the 1 ⅓ lb fish bones, tails and trimmings from white river fish in a pan with the cold 7 ½ cups cold water and bring slowly to a simmer over a medium heat. Skim the foam for 3–4 minutes until the surface is clean.
10 minStep 2: Add the 1 onion, 2 bay leaves, 8 black peppercorns and 1 ½ tsp salt and simmer very gently for 15 minutes; the surface should just tremble.
15 minStep 3: Strain the broth through a sieve lined with damp muslin or kitchen paper into a clean pan and discard the bones. Keep the onion.
3 minStep 5: Slip in the 16 oz skinless fillets of pike-perch, perch or cod and the onion, and poach on a bare simmer for 6–7 minutes, until the fish is opaque and flakes easily.
7 minStep 6: Stir in the ⅔ oz fresh dill and 3 spring onions, cover and leave off the heat for 3 minutes. Serve with 1 lemon wedges.
3 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 230 kcal
- Protein
- 26 g
- Carbs
- 18 g
- Fat
- 4 g
- Fibre
- 3 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does ukha take?
- About 50 minutes in total: 15 minutes to prepare and 35 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 4 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.
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
- What can I use instead of bay leaves?
- Leave it out, or a pinch of dried thyme (it's a background flavour).
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