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Freshly frozen mackerel ear

Freshly Frozen Mackerel Fish Soup

A quick, very tasty, and low-calorie fish soup. All told, this mackerel soup takes just half an hour to cook. The recipe is very easy — even a beginner cook can handle it. Mackerel is a delicious fish, with few bones and no scales at all, so it needs no special prep or cleaning.

hallen-bunny

Recipe author

Composition / ingredients

Servings:

Mackerel

Potatoes

Carrot

Onion

Water

2.5

Semolina

Dill

Bay leaf

Allspice

Salt

0.5

Translation table of volumetric measures

Nutrients and energy value of the composition of the recipe

By weight of the composition:

Proteins 33 % 2 g

Fats 17 % 1 g

Carbohydrates 50 % 3 g

28 kcal

GI: 100 / 0 / 0

Cooking method

Cooking time: 30 min

Step 1:

How do you make fish soup from freshly frozen mackerel? To cook a fragrant mackerel soup, take one medium freshly frozen mackerel and leave it at room temperature for 15–20 minutes. You don't need to thaw it completely — the fish defrosts quickly while the soup cooks, and when it's still a little frozen it actually cuts into pieces more easily. Also peel and rinse the potatoes, onion, and carrot well.
Step 2:

The fish cooks very fast, so start with the vegetables rather than a broth. Set a pot of water over the heat. While it comes to a boil, cut the peeled potatoes into small cubes.
Step 3:

This kind of soup doesn't call for sautéed vegetables. A true fish soup is cooked over a campfire, and it has only boiled vegetables in it. Slice the carrot into rounds. To make the carrot look prettier in the soup, you can cut it decoratively: run a few shallow lengthwise grooves down the carrot, cutting away 3–4 thin strips from different sides.
Step 4:

Then slice the carrot crosswise — you'll get little flower shapes. The leftover strips you can snack on or, like I do, cut into a few pieces and drop into the soup as well.
Step 5:

Add the sliced carrot and potatoes to the pot of boiling water at the same time. Cook for 10 minutes.
Step 6:

Meanwhile, finely chop one onion. Add it to the soup with the potatoes and carrots. Cook for another 10 minutes.
Step 7:

Gut the slightly thawed mackerel, cut off the head and fins, and rinse. Then cut it into serving pieces (6–7 pieces).
Step 8:

As I mentioned, the fish cooks quickly, so add it to the pot last. A little trick: along with the fish, stir in one level tablespoon of semolina to thicken the broth. The semolina will be all but invisible in the soup, but it makes the broth heartier and richer.
Step 9:

Also add half a tablespoon of salt, one bay leaf, and the whole allspice. Cook for another 10 minutes. Stir in finely chopped fresh dill and turn off the heat. Let the soup rest a little.

To make this freshly frozen mackerel soup even tastier, stir in a pat of butter at the end of cooking. Enjoy!
Important! Whether or not the recipe gives an exact amount of water for the soup, it's best to go by your own preferences (whether you like a thick or a more brothy soup), as well as the size of your pot and the ingredients you're using. Keep in mind that the author has their own take on how much meat, potatoes, grain, and other ingredients belong in the soup, which may not match yours. In practice, this means that if you're making it for the first time, don't cook a whole pot at once. Make a tasting batch — for one or two people. To do that, scale all the recipe ingredients down to 1–2 servings, and figure the water at roughly one cup per serving for a very thick soup, up to 1.5–2 cups for a more brothy one. Don't forget that some of the liquid will boil off during cooking. After tasting a small portion, you can adjust both the amount of liquid and the proportions of the ingredients to your taste. Down the road, like most experienced cooks, you'll be able to pour the water and add the ingredients by eye.
For tips on choosing the perfect pot for soup, porridge, or pickling cucumbers, read our article about pots.
For cooking, it's best to use filtered or bottled water with a neutral taste. If you use tap water, keep in mind it can give the dish an unpleasant off-flavor.