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Fish Soup from Canned Mackerel
Instructions
I get all the necessary ingredients ready. I peel and rinse all the vegetables.
I cut the potatoes into medium-sized cubes.
You can grate the carrot, but it's better to cut it into thin slices – that way it looks prettier in the finished soup.
I finely chop the onion.
I finely chop the small sweet pepper (or half of a large one).
I boil 3 litres of water, drop in the chopped potatoes and cook them for 15–20 minutes, depending on the variety of potato.
While the potatoes are cooking, I sauté the rest of the vegetables in a pan with a little sunflower oil: carrot, pepper and onion.
Once the vegetables are sautéed, I add them to the pot with the potatoes without waiting for them to finish cooking. At the same time I add salt to taste.
When the potatoes are soft but not yet falling apart, I add the finely chopped parsley and the canned saury to the pot. I add it together with the oil from the can, but you can add just the fish itself.
I let the fish soup from canned saury cook a little longer and take it off the heat. I serve it with homemade garlic croutons.Bon appetit!
Tips
- 1
ADD THE SAURY AT THE END – it is already cooked and does not need long boiling. Otherwise the fish will fall apart into mush.
- 2
DON'T POUR OUT THE OIL FROM THE CAN – it is fragrant, packed with fish flavour, and enriches the broth nicely.
- 3
SAUTÉED VEGETABLES make the soup brighter and more aromatic than raw ones. You can skip this for a diet version, but the taste will be a little bland.
- 4
Serve WITH GARLIC CROUTONS – they turn a simple soup into a "restaurant" dish. The same trick works in other fish soups.
Video
FAQ
Which canned fish should I choose? +
Any canned fish in its own juices or in oil works for this soup. Saury is the classic – inexpensive and tasty. Sardines are meatier. Mackerel is more "oily". Tuna is delicate, but more expensive. Herring has a bolder flavour, but it isn't to everyone's taste. Avoid canned fish in tomato sauce – it will spoil the clarity of the broth. Check the ingredients: good canned fish contains fish, oil/water and salt. Pay attention to the use-by date and the integrity of the can. "Dobroflot" canned fish offers a good price-to-quality ratio.
How can I thicken the soup? +
Without a grain the soup comes out thin. Thickening options: rice 50 g (add it together with the potatoes), millet 50 g (rinse it 3–4 times), "Hercules" rolled oats 50 g (add 10 minutes before the end), pearl barley 50 g (cook it separately and add it to the soup), vermicelli 60 g (at the end). Increase the grain if you want the soup very thick. For an ukha-like texture, add 1 tbsp of flour stirred into 50 ml of cold water 3 minutes before the end. Without thickening the soup is lighter but less filling.
How long does the soup keep? +
In the fridge in a covered pot – 2 days. The next day the flavour is brighter, as the fish gives more of its taste to the broth. Fish soups keep less well than meat ones – they lose freshness faster, and a "fishy" smell appears by the third day. Reheat it on the stove until it comes to the boil, not in the microwave (the smell of fish will spread through the whole kitchen). I don't recommend freezing it – after thawing the potatoes turn "rubbery" and the fish loses its shape.
What should I serve the soup with? +
The classics: with dark or "Borodinsky" bread, with garlic croutons (fry pieces of dark bread with garlic and vegetable oil), with sour cream (1 tsp in the bowl), with fresh parsley and dill, with a slice of lemon (for a "fishy" accent). For a "Finnish" serving, add a spoonful of cream to the bowl and you get a creamy ukha. For an "army" version, serve with a big piece of dark bread and a slice of salo. For fasting days (on fast days when fish is allowed), it is an ideal choice.
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