Mackerel Fish Soup from frozen mackerel

Prepare the ingredients. Be more selective when choosing mackerel for the soup: look for any damage, yellow coating, and extra ice, so it hasn't been thawed and refrozen multiple times.

Place the frozen mackerel on the kitchen counter to thaw a little. At room temperature, in about 15-20 minutes, the mackerel will almost thaw, and it's not necessary to thaw it completely. This makes it easier to cut into even, beautiful pieces. While we prepare the vegetables for the soup, the pieces will thaw completely.

Since mackerel cooks quickly, we will start by preparing the vegetables. Peel the potatoes and cut them into small pieces. Slice the peeled carrot into rounds. Also, remove the skin from the onion, and chop the peeled onion finely.

Fill a pot with the necessary amount of clean water and place it on the heat. Wait for the water to boil and add the potato slices to the boiling water. In a real soup cooked over an open fire, no frying is done, and only boiled vegetables are added to the soup. We will do the same and add the onion after the potatoes in the pot. Cook the potatoes with the carrots for 10 minutes.

Then add the chopped onion to the pot and boil for another 10 minutes.

When the mackerel thaws enough to be cut into pieces, proceed to prepare the fish. Cut off the head, remove and discard the gills. Discard the entrails along with the dark membrane, and cut off the fins. Rinse the carcass under cool water. Thoroughly clean the inside of the belly. Pay special attention to the head and the side of the backbone to ensure there are no clots of blood that will make our soup cloudy. Cut the mackerel into large pieces so they won't fall apart during cooking. Use a sharp knife, as the meat of this fish is very tender and easily breaks into pieces, which will look unappetizing in the soup.

Add the mackerel to the pot. Add salt (to taste), 1 bay leaf, and allspice berries. As soon as a dark foam appears on the surface of the soup, remove it with a spoon. Cook on a very low flame for 10 minutes.

Now it’s time to add the greens. Chop them finely and add them to the soup. Turn off the heat and let the soup steep for a bit.

Pour into bowls and serve hot. Thanks to the gentle simmering, the mackerel fish soup turned out clear.

Enjoy your meal!