Ukha - Ukrainian Fishermen's Soup

It's a very simple nevertheless best recipe for a popular Ukrainian Catch-Of-The-Day Fish soup called Ukha. Don't be discouraged by humbleness of this recipe. I've being through many versions of it - this one is THE best and THE simplest one.

Blog's Category: Effortless, Healthy, International, My Own Fast and Easy, My Staple Food, Seafood, Soup, Ukrainian

Traditionally this soup is made of whatever fishermen catches this day. We have spent a beautiful summer day fishing on a local lake LaDue and our catch-of-the-day were several small white and yellow perches and some bluegills. Just enough for a pot of Ukha, Personally, I prefer to cook soup rather than fry my catch, because usually it's a small fish which is fantastically tender cooked in a soup and it is easier to separate bones from a flesh when small fish is boiled, not fried.

It is a special, acquired skills to deal with a bones in small fish. That's why I posted some pictures to share how I do this. Trust me, beautifully tender, delicious flesh of a small fish is  worthy all the work! 

Although if you are not up to fishing and de-boning your fish, but would like to try Ukha, just go to a store and buy a fish of your choice. In this case I would get trout, but any fish will do.

One more advise. If you have being fishing and come home late tired, gut, scale and clean your fish right away anyway. Then place it in a container, fill with cold water just to cover a fish, add about 1 tablespoon of salt (per every liter of water) and place in a fridge. It can be kept like this for up to 3-4 days before your get to cook it.

Warning for a sensitive people - don't read this paragraph. This is a special note for fishermen regarding fish head. If you've being lucky to catch big fish, use a head for this soup too, it gives a lot of flavor to a soup, just don't forget to cut out and discard gills. If fish is small, like mine here, don't bother with heads, just cut them off and discard.

Ukha

• about 3 lbs of fish, gutted, scaled and cleaned
• 2 liter of water
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 3 potatoes, peeled and diced (I like to dice relatively finely 1/2" x 1/2")
• salt to taste
• 7 whole black peppercorn (or mixed peppercorn)
• 2 bay leaves
• 1 tbs dill (fresh preferably, I used frozen)

- Place pot with water on a stove, add potato, onion, bay leaves and peppercorn. Bring to a boil. Simmer until potato cooked through.

- Carefully add all your fish in a pot. Do not stir! Bring soup to a boil, turn heat down and simmer for 10 minutes.

- Add salt. Carefully swish a soup to dissolve and distribute a salt, trying not to break a fish. It is critical to add adequate amount of salt, it should be just right - not too much, not too little.

- Add dill. Turn heat off. Your soup is done!

- Enjoy! When it's Ukha with a bone-in fish, I like to serve fish separately from soup itself, like on my photo below. It makes it easier to deal with bones.  The process matters :)



Notes:

- As of leftovers, I like to keep fish and soup in a separate containers as well. It is much easier to enjoy it next day too!

- I insist that you stick to this recipe to the word. It's very few ingredients but each of them matters. Without any single ingredient in this recipe, or with any additional ingredient, you won't get My Best Ukha ;) 

- The pictures below may seem underwhelming, but you have to believe my word that it is The Best Ukha. Try.



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IN PICTURES

 Whenever possible, I try to use red onion as it has more anti-oxidants than white one. But white onion can be used here as well.

 Usually I place pot with water on a heat and as it is brought to a boil I chop and add potato, onion, bay leaves and pepper.

I used a mix of pink, black and green peppercorns.

 Cook potato until it's completely soft, before adding a fish.

 Here is our catch. It was kept in a fridge in salted water, like this, for a two days before I get to cook my ukha. Because my fish was in a salted water for a two days, I will be careful when adding salt to my soup.

 I placed fish carefully on a top of potato. No stirring!. Now just wait until it start to boil, then turn heat down and simmer for 10 min.

 I don't use fresh dill too often. That's why when I buy fresh dill, I like to chop it and keep in a freezer until I need it. There is a few dishes, like this, when it's no-go without fresh(frozen) dill.

 Frozen dill.

 Dill is added, bringing simmering down. Now one more minute to start simmering again and it's done!

 Serving soup separately, in a small bowl. Fish is on a separate plate too.

 Yumm. Start eating fish from a back, using your fingers, with a little help from a fork :) Take your time, dealing with bones requires attention and some fish anatomy knowledge. Happy discoveries!

 After each fish bite don't forget to indulge on a flavorful fish broth with a pieces of melting-in-a-mouth potato and tiny bits of soft onions.

 It's a bit of dirty but delicious work to eat small fish! The most expensive fish would never taste as a piece of small fish, such as this white and yellow perch.

 Step by step, back fins with a row a tiny bones, and vertebrae with tail fins goes on a 'discard' side of a plate. Now 'huge' piece of other half of fish (minus ribs) are all de-boned and available for enjoyment.

It was fun and it was delish. I hope you will do a favor to yourself and cook Ukha some time soon.