Creamy Trout Head Fish Soup (Ukha)

Cooking method

1. Step 1:

   

   I bought a whole golden trout—about 1.4 kg (3 lb)—to cure. Buying the whole fish pays off: you might get lucky and find roe inside, and either way you'll have plenty for a proper ukha. Wash the fish and scrape off the scales, including on the head. Gut it and remove the fillets. Set aside the backbone, tail, fins, belly, and head for the soup. Remove the gills from the head very carefully and rinse it again—even a tiny bit of gill will make the soup bitter, so be thorough.

2. Step 2:

   

   Make a rich broth. I used 2 liters (8 cups) of water, which gives a broth that's just rich enough for my taste—use a bit more or less if you like. Add half the onion and carrot, the dill and parsley stems, and the peppercorns and allspice (or seasonings to taste). I tie the spices in a spice bag. Add all the prepared fish and bring to a boil over high heat.

3. Step 3:

   

   Let it come to a boil so the foam rises. Skim off the foam, add a little salt, and lower the heat to a minimum.

4. Step 4:

   

   Cover and simmer gently for 20 minutes.

5. Step 5:

   

   Meanwhile, prep the vegetables. Wash and peel the potatoes, carrot, and onion. Cut them however you like—I finely chop the herbs and onion, julienne the carrot, and cut the potatoes into medium cubes. Keep the cut potatoes in cold water so they don't darken and shed excess starch.

6. Step 6:

   

   Make the sauté. Put a pat of butter in a cold skillet and add all the onion and carrot at once. This is the rare case where you don't preheat the pan or add the vegetables in stages. You can skip the sauté, but I make it even when cooking over a campfire—it's a matter of taste.

7. Step 7:

   

   Cook until golden and the onion turns translucent—no longer than that. As shown in the photo, take the pan off the heat right away and keep stirring for a bit so the onion doesn't scorch.

8. Step 8:

   

   The broth is just done. Lift out the fish with a slotted spoon and strain the broth through a sieve into another pot.

9. Step 9:

   

   Once the fish has cooled, pick off the flesh.

10. Step 10:

    

    Make the soup. Bring the strained broth back to a boil, add the potatoes, skim off any foam, and lower the heat to medium-low. Add salt if needed and cook, covered, until the potatoes are almost done—about 15 minutes, depending on the potatoes and your stove.

11. Step 11:

    

    Once the potatoes are soft, add the sauté, rinsing the last of the butter out of the pan with a little broth—it gives the soup a lovely color and flavor.

12. Step 12:

    

    Right away, add the fish and a rinsed bay leaf. Raise the heat a bit. Pour in the cream, let it come to a boil, then turn off the heat and stir in the herbs. Taste for salt; if it's good, cover and let it rest about 15 minutes, adjusting the salt at the end if needed.

13. Step 13:

    

    And here's the finished ukha: the potatoes hold their shape but are fully cooked, as is the carrot. There's just enough fish and potato to keep the soup medium-thick. And the broth is something special—no fishy smell at all, just a refined flavor and wonderful aroma.