Pike Soup

⏳ Time

2 hours

🥕 Ingredients

🍽️ Servings

Description

A rich soup made from freshwater fish, complemented by black radish, cucumber brine, kvass, and many other interesting ingredients. This recipe is adapted from a classic culinary book, 'The Best of Russian Cuisine: 500 Years of Tradition.'

Ingredients

River Fish - 2 lbs
Crayfish - 10.6 oz
Cucumbers - 2 pieces
Radish - 1 piece
Bread Kvass - 1 qt
Cucumber Brine - ½ glasses
Horseradish Leaves - to taste
Bay leaf - 1 piece
Dried Dill Stems - 1 tablespoon
Allspice berries - 3 pieces
Dill - to taste
Parsley - to taste
Scallions - to taste
Salt - to taste

Step by Step guide

Step 1

In a large pot, bring water to a boil along with a bay leaf, dried dill, cracked allspice berries, and an onion cut into quarters. Add salt to taste.

Step 2

Submerge the fish pieces in boiling water. The fish should be packed fairly tightly, with the water covering it only slightly. Wait for it to come to a boil again, then remove from heat. Allow the contents of the pot to cool down on their own. In the meantime, the fish will finish cooking while maintaining its shape, and the broth (fish soup) will absorb its aroma and flavor. It's better not to cover the pot with a lid to preserve the clarity of the soup.

Step 3

Remove the fish from the pot and strain the fish soup through a cloth. Dilute the soup with kvass used for okroshka, and add some brine. Season with grated horseradish to taste.

Step 4

Finely chop the cucumbers and radish. Mince the herbs as finely as possible. For the parsley, only the leaves should be chopped, while the stems can be used when cooking fish soup.

Step 5

Place pieces of fish, boiled crayfish tails (in the photo, crayfish shells filled with pike quenelle), sliced vegetables, and herbs into a serving dish. Pour over the mixture of fish soup, kvass, and brine. The pike dish is ready; serve it cold.