Ukha (Russian Fish Soup)

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Ukha is a traditional Russian clear, brothy soup full of fish and vegetables.

Prep Time15

Cook Time2 15

Course: Soups

Cuisine: International

Servings:

Calories: 342kcal

Immersion blender optional, only if you want to blend the potato into the soup to make it thicker.
Heavy stock pot

1 Seabream fish whole, gutted and scaled
1 Salmon filet or trout filet
4 Large Potatoes peeled and then roughly chopped, except for 1 potato you can leave whole
1 Large Yellow Onion cut in half, finely dice one half and leave the other half whole
4 Medium Carrots peeled, leave two carrots whole and roughly chop the other two.
1 Bunch Fresh parsley finely diced and divided into two piles.
2 Stalks Fresh lovage (including leaves) optional, left whole with leaves intact
4 Ribs Celery (including leaves) leave two ribs whole, roughly chop the other two, add any leaves into the pile with the whole celery.
4 tablespoons Olive oil
Salt & Pepper to taste
1 Bay leaf

Bring 4 litres of water to boil in a large, heavy bottomed stock pot that has a lid.
As the water gets to a boil, prep the vegetables as in the notes above.
Take the following vegetables: 1/2 onion (whole), 2 carrots (whole), 1/2 of the chopped parsley, all of the lovage (if using), 2 stalks celery (whole), and the bay leaf.
Add the vegetables to the boiling water and then immidietly reduce the temperature to the lowest setting. C
Cover the pot and allow the vegetables to simmer for 45 minutes.
Add the fish and continue to simmer on low for another 20 minutes, covered.
Remove the fish from the water and set it aside to cool in a bowl. Once cooled, shred the meat and discard any bones and skin.
The vegetables are spent. They may be composted or fed to your chickens or other animals.
Strain the stock and set it aside.

In the same pot, saute the remaining onions and carrots in some olive oil until browned and soft.
Add all the diced potatoes, the whole potato, and half of the remaining fresh parsley.
Add the fish broth you reserved.
Let the soup simmer on low heat for 25-30 minutes, covered, or until the potatoes are tender and the whole potato you put in is cooked.
Remove the potato along with some broth into a bowl and use an immersion blender to blend it until smooth.
Add this mixture back to the soup and stir.
This step is optional. It thickens the soup while still leaving behind potato chunks.
You can also just break up the potato with a wooden spoon into more chunks instead.
Simmer until vegetables are soft.
Add salt and pepper to taste, tasting the soup as it cooks.
Turn off the heat and then add in the chopped fish meat, half a lemon cut into quarters, and the remaining olive oil.
Allow to stand for 5 minutes, and then garnish generously with the remaining parsley.
Serve with crusty sourdough bread, generously buttered or spread with sour cream for a fantastic lunch. Or serve as a starter soup course for dinner.

Substitutions & Variations

Smoked fish | if you have any smoked fish, add it to the soup for an interesting flavor.
Types of Fish | salmon soup or trout soup is delicious, but feel free to add other fish or seafood too.
More Vegetables | add more vegetables to round this soup out; consider raw cabbage, sauerkraut, peas, or green beans.
More Herbs | add dill, fenugreek, oregano, thyme or other favorite herbs.
Vegeta | a tablespoon of Vegeta makes for a lovage substitute if you do not have any. Add it to the final soup and taste for saltiness before adding more salt.

Storage

Store it covered and refrigerate for up to 4 days, but it is best if consumed within 24 hours.

To reheat, simply add a portion into a pot and reheat gently on low until it gets to temperature.