This Ukha Recipe Is One That Shouldn’t Be Overlooked!
Ukha – as this Russian fish soup is called – is a warm and hearty soup full of delicious flavors.
Made with fresh fish – in this case salmon – and a variety of vegetables such as potatoes, carrots, and celery, ukha is topped with fresh herbs and served hot!
There are many different variations of this soup. The type of fish used (cod, perch, and pike are popular) often affects the exact vegetables and spices used.
But ukha didn’t always mean soup. In the past, it simply meant fish broth – or meat broth.
As fish was more often used as the meat in said broth, the term ukha became more and more associated with the fish dish in question!
Today, ukha is more or less synonymous with “fish soup” made with fish and vegetables.
Ingredients
To make this ukha recipe, here is a list of the exact ingredients that you will need!
- Salmon – You’ll need three pounds, including the head, tail, fins, belly with the skin on.
- Onions – One onion for the broth and one for the soup.
- Carrots – Medium carrots, one for the broth and one for the soup.
- Celery stalk – One celery stalk for the broth.
- Bay leaves – Use 2-3 for extra flavor.
- Sprigs of parsley – Both flat-leave or curly-leaf parsley will work.
- Olive Oil – To sauté the vegetables. Canola oil, avocado oil or sunflower oil also work.
- Potatoes – 3-4 medium-sized potatoes. All-purpose potatoes such as white potatoes work well.
- Salt – To season the soup; more to taste.
Recipe Tips and Substitutions
Before you tackle this recipe for ukha soup, read through these recipe tips so that you know about variations and other cooking tips:
- Don’t use russet potatoes as they may fall apart during cooking. All-purpose potatoes such as white potatoes or Yukon Gold potatoes work well.
- If you’d like the soup to be less oily, you can skip the salmon belly and just use the head, tail, and fins. You can also make this fish soup with fish fillet only instead.
- You can add other spices besides salt if you prefer.
- Sour cream is sometimes added when lean fish is used for the broth. Is salmon is used, the sour cream can be omitted.
- Serve the soup with some fresh herbs like parsley.
How to Make Ukha – Step by Step Instructions
In this section, we’ll show you exactly how to make this Russian fish soup. You can find all the recipe photos from the recipe so that you can follow along step by step and see how your soup is coming along compared to ours!
Of course, the recipe card is at the bottom of the post and you can also use that to make the recipe!
First you need to cook the soup broth. If necessary, roughly cut up the fish – the belly, fins, tail and head. Then place the salmon parts in a large pot.
Cut the celery stalk into thirds. Peel and halve one onion. Wash the carrots and cut one of them into large pieces.
Then add the chopped celery, one onion, one carrot, parsley and bay leaves to the pot.
Add enough water to completely cover the fish and vegetables.
Bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer on low for about 30 minutes.
After the broth is cooked, you will need to let it cool down a bit. Once it has cooled slightly, remove the pieces of salmon.
Also remove the vegetables and bay leaves – you can use them for something for something else.
Remove the skin and debone the salmon. Try to get them all as you don’t want any bones in the soup later.
Strain the fish broth, then pour it back into the pot and add the pieces of fish. If there seems to be not enough liquid in the pot, add a little bit more water.
Next, prepare the vegetables for the soup. Finely chop one onion and one carrot. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan, then add the chopped onion and carrot.
Sauté the vegetables over medium heat, stirring with a spatula, for about 6-7 minutes until they are slightly browned and soft.
Transfer the vegetables to the pot with the broth, add the chopped potatoes as well as salt and cook for 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are soft.
You can also add other spices to taste. When the potatoes are soft, taste the soup and add more salt if necessary.
After cooking, leave the ukha in the pot with the lid on for about 15-20 minutes before serving. You can serve the fish soup with fresh herbs like parsley. Enjoy!
Storage Tips
This Russian fish soup stores well in a sealed container in the fridge. Properly stored, it will last for 3 to 4 days.
The soup reheats nicely in the microwave or on the stove top. If you made it using a whole fish and not just fillets, much of the fat will have floated to the surface and set. You can remove some of it before reheating the soup if you prefer.
FAQ
Here’s an answer to a frequently asked question about ukha!
Ukha is the term for fish soup that is common in Russia. Nowadays, the term means a fish soup with a thinner broth and vegetables such as root veggies and potatoes. There are many variations of ukha, from the fish and vegetables used to spices used to season the soup.
Related Recipes
If you like this fish soup, you might also enjoy these other Russian recipes – some soups, some dumplings, all delicious!
- Solyanka (Smoked Meat Soup)
- Pelmeni (Filled Dumplings)
- Okroshka (Summer Cold Soup)
- Chicken Kiev
- Meat Jelly (Aspic)
- Russian Vinaigrette Salad
Ukha (Russian Fish Soup)
Ingredients
- 3 pounds salmon, head, tail, fins, belly (skin on)
- 2 yellow onions, 1 for the broth and 1 for the soup
- 2 carrots, 1 for the broth and 1 for the soup
- 1 stalk celery
- 2-3 bay leaves
- 5-6 sprigs parsley
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 3-4 potatoes, chopped into bite-sized cubes
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- First you need to cook the soup broth. If necessary, roughly cut up the fish – the belly, fins, tail and head. Then add the parts of the salmon to a large pot.
- Cut the celery stalk into large pieces. Peel and halve one onion. Wash the carrots and cut one of them into large pieces.
- Add the chopped celery, onion, carrot, parsley and bay leaves to the pot. Then add enough water to completely cover the fish and vegetables. Bring to a boil, then simmer on low heat for about 30 minutes.
- After the broth is cooked, let it cool slightly, then remove the pieces of salmon. Also remove the vegetables and bay leaves – you can use them for something else.
- Remove the skin and debone the salmon.
- Strain the fish broth, then pour it back into the pan and add the pieces of fish. If it seems like there is not enough water in the pot, add a little bit more.
- Next, prepare the vegetables for the soup. Finely chop one onion and one carrot. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan, then add the chopped onion and carrot. Sauté the vegetables over medium heat, stirring with a spatula, for about 6-7 minutes until they are slightly browned and soft.
- Transfer the vegetables to the pot with the broth, add the chopped potatoes as well as salt and cook for 15-20 minutes until the potatoes are soft. You can also add any other spices to taste. Once the potatoes are soft, taste the soup and add more salt, if necessary.
- After cooking, leave the ukha in the pot with the lid on for about 15-20 minutes before serving. You can serve the fish soup with fresh herbs such as parsley. Enjoy!
Notes
- Use all-purpose potatoes, such as white or Yukon gold potatoes, since they hold their shape well when being cooked.
- If you want a less oily ukha, you can omit the belly, and use only the head, tail and fins. Alternatively, you can also make the fish soup with fish fillets only. Keep in mind that this may change the flavor slightly.
- Sometimes barley groats or millet is added to the ukha.
- Sometimes ukha is served with sour cream when lean fish is used for the broth. When making the soup with salmon, you can omit the sour cream.
Nutrition
This nutritional information has been estimated by an online nutrition calculator. It should only be seen as a rough calculation and not a replacement for professional dietary advice.
