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Ukha — Russian Fish Soup with Millet

A quick homemade ukha made with salmon and millet. Ukha is one of the oldest dishes in Russian cuisine, though at the time it first appeared (which can't be pinned down) it wasn't yet the distinctive, signature dish it is today. According to old sources, in the 11th–12th centuries the word "ukha" was used for almost any soup, whatever it was made of — and some versions were even closer to a modern stewed-fruit compote.

Maria

Recipe author

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Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Water

Red Fish

350

Millet

100

Potatoes

Carrots

Onion

Peppercorns

Allspice

Salt

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 30 % 3 g

Fats 10 % 1 g

Carbohydrates 60 % 6 g

45 kcal

GI: 60 / 0 / 40

Cooking method

Step 1:

Gather the ingredients. To make ukha with millet, you'll need: clean drinking water, the tail section of a fish (I'm using trout, but any fish you like will work), potatoes, a small onion, a carrot, millet, allspice berries, black peppercorns, and salt.
Step 2:

Rinse the fish, pat it dry, and cut it into steaks. Peel the onion.
Step 3:

Put the fish steaks, the whole onion, the allspice and black peppercorns, and 1 tsp of salt into a pot. Pour in the water. Set it over the heat and bring to a boil. Simmer over low heat, skimming off the foam, for about 30 minutes.
Step 4:

Cut the potatoes into medium cubes and grate the carrot on a coarse grater.
Step 5:

Remove the fish and strain the broth. Return the broth to the heat and bring it back to a boil.
Step 6:

Sort through the millet and rinse it thoroughly.
Step 7:

Add the millet, potatoes, and carrot to the boiling broth. Cook over low heat for 10–12 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.
Step 8:

Return the fish to the soup. Add more salt if needed. Cook for another 2–3 minutes.
Step 9:

Take the finished soup off the heat, cover it, and let it rest for 10 minutes. Then ladle it into bowls. Enjoy!

Ukha is a clear, hot fish dish — though it wouldn't quite be right to call it "fish soup." The name "ukha" became tied specifically to fish broth only from the late 17th to early 18th century. In the 11th–12th centuries, "ukha" could also mean a meat broth, and in the 16th–17th centuries a chicken one. But from the 15th century on, ukha was increasingly made from fish, which lent itself better than anything else to a dish quite unlike the other liquid fare on the Russian table. Ukha became a quick-cooking dish with a clear, broth-like liquid — which is why, unlike an ordinary fish soup, it shouldn't be enriched with butter, grains, flour, browned onions, and the like.