Categories: Hot SoupsSoups

Russian Fish Soup (Uha)

Eating fish at least once a week is one of a rules you follow to stay healthy. At my home we like to eat a russian fish soup, called uha in russian, to keep brain working better.

Uha can be prepared of pretty much any kind fresh fish you can find in your shop. I prefer to make it with atlantinc salmon. Why won’t you try it?

Ingredients:

  • 2lb of fresh fish (I took fillet of atlantic salmon)
  • 2 medium size potatoes
  • 2 medium size carrots
  • 1 medium parsley root
  • 1 onion
  • 5-6 bay leaves
  • 10-15 black peppercorns
  • Fresh dill
  • Salt
  • Small slice of lemon per serving

How to make, step-by-step:

  1. Fill cooking pot with 100 oz (3 liters) of cold water, take pot big enough as you will need to fit there all water, fish and vegetables. So make sure you have at least 2-2.5 inches of pot above the water after you fill it. Put cooking pot on the burner on moderate heat. Prepare fish if it is not ready yet. Scale it (if needed), wash in cold water and slice into big pieces.
    Russian Fish Soup Recipe: Step 1
  2. Wash and skin potatoes, parsley root, carrots and onions. Dice potatoes. Slice carrots. Cut parsley root into 4 pieces, I usually remove boiled parsley root from the pot after fish soup is ready and it is easier to do when it is cut into bigger pieces, if you want to serve it with your soup you may slice it as you usually do for the other soups. Pierce whole onion in several places with a knife:
    Russian Fish Soup Recipe: Step 2
  3. Add salt to the pot when water begin to boil. Add all vegetables you’ve prepared at step 3 to the boiling water.
    Russian Fish Soup Recipe: Step 3
  4. Boil vegetables till the moment when potatoes get almost ready (depends of the size of potato dices it can take from 8 to 12 minutes). Add all bay leaves and all black peppercorns.
    Russian Fish Soup Recipe: Step 4
  5. Let pot content to boil for 2-3 minutes. Add fish to the pot and keep it boiling for 7-8 minutes.
    Russian Fish Soup Recipe: Step 5
  6. Wash and chop dill, add to the soup. Try the taste and add more salt if you feel like it. Boil for 2-3 minutes more and turn the burner off.
    Russian Fish Soup Recipe: Step 6
  7. Put a slice of lemon to the soup bow, put piece of fish, some potatoes and carrots. Let it stay for several minutes before serving. Don’t serve onion and parsley.
    Russian Fish Soup Recipe: Step 7
  8. Enjoy your delicious fish soup!
    Russian Fish Soup (Uha)

View Comments

  • 2lb of fresh fish (fillet of atlantic salmon) - soup never cooked from fillet, must have bones, head fins and tail in the pot for good taste.

    The North Atlantic fish is contaminated with mercury originating from the United States industrial water pollution. It is not advised to eat fish more than once a month for pregnant women and small children
    because of the risk of brain damage. Though salmon accumulates relatively lower levels of mercury.
    See http://www.epa.gov/mercury/advisories.htm for more information.

    • Most of the fish in the shops doesn't really come from the wild, I can't say what is better mercury or the food they are fed with on farms.

      I prefer fish meat rather than bones, heads and so on, a matter of personal choice I think.