Pollock Soup

Pollock Soup = INEXPENSIVE Russian-ukha (fish-soup) classic. POLLOCK = popular-budget-fish + mild-flavor + dietetic + abundant. The DELICIOUS + FRAGRANT + DIETETIC trio + 34 KCAL per 100 g = LIGHTEST-WEIGHT soup. POTATO + ONION + CARROT + PEPPERCORNS + BAY-LEAF + DILL + 800 ML water = SIMPLE 6-ingredient base. The TWO-STAGE-COOKING: vegetables-first (10 min) + onion-removed-then + fish-added (20 min steady-boil) + dill-rest (15 min off-heat) = LAYERED flavor-development. RUSSIAN tradition for-light-fish-soup. 2 servings + 45 min total = perfect-evening-meal. AROMATIC + comforting + healthy.

Ingredients

Preparation

Tips and Tricks

Tip 1. THE ONION-IN-AND-OUT FLAVOR-EXTRACTION TRICK. Step 5's "remove all boiled onion + discard" is sophisticated-technique. WHY ADD-AND-REMOVE: onion-cooks-with-vegetables = imparts SWEET-AROMATIC-flavor to-broth + softens-other-vegetables-evenly + adds-depth. WHY REMOVE: boiled-onion in-fish-soup = MUSHY texture-mistake + visual-disruption + Russian-ukha-tradition prefers CLEAR-broth + visible-vegetables/fish only. The QUARTER-CUT-PIECES make easy-removal with-slotted-spoon. Same flavor-extraction principle: ALL Russian-ukha + French fish-fumet + clear-broth-traditions worldwide. Pro-tip: ADDS+REMOVES technique applies BAY-LEAVES + WHOLE-PEPPERCORNS too = aromatic-extraction without-eating-whole-spices.

Tip 2. THE GENTLE-BOIL FISH-PROTECTION TECHNIQUE. Step 7's "gentle boil 20 min" is texture-essential. ROLLING-BOIL (vigorous): fish-pieces TUMBLE-BREAK + flakes-everywhere + cloudy-broth + over-cooked-tough-fish + ruined-presentation. GENTLE-BOIL (gentle-bubbling): fish-cooks-evenly + pieces-stay-INTACT + clear-broth + tender-flake-when-served + restaurant-quality. The TEMPERATURE: 85-90°C ideal (not full 100°C); just-bubbling-not-roiling. Same gentle-cooking principle: ALL fish + delicate-protein cooking traditions (poached-eggs, salmon-poaching, oyster-stew). Pro-tip: WATCH-TEMPERATURE first-5-min after-fish-added; adjust-heat to-maintain GENTLE-BUBBLING; never-stir-vigorously (breaks-fish). For another classic fish-soup worth trying, try Fish Soup from Frozen Pink Salmon.

Tip 3. THE 15-MIN STEEP RESTING-DEVELOPMENT. Step 8's "turn off heat + steep 15 minutes" is FLAVOR-essential. SERVING-IMMEDIATELY: hot-but flavors-NOT-MELDED + dill-aroma not-fully-released + lacks-COMPLEXITY. PROPER-15-MIN-STEEP: residual-heat continues-gentle-cooking + flavors-MARRY + dill-essential-oils RELEASE + fish-finishes-tender + broth-concentrates. The CHEMISTRY: aromatic-compounds need-TIME at-warm-temperature (not-boiling) to-fully-bloom. Same steep principle: ALL Russian-ukha + tea + coffee + many-soup-traditions worldwide. Pro-tip: KEEP-COVERED during-steep = retains-aromatics + stays-hot for-serving + maximizes-flavor-development.

Tip 4. THE FRESH-DILL-DOUBLE-USE STRATEGY. Steps 7 + 10 use-DILL twice differently. STEP-7-USE: stalks (long-thick) added-during-cooking = FLAVOR-INFUSION into-broth (stalks-have-essential-oils + structure withstands-cooking). STEP-10-USE: chopped-leaves added-each-serving = FRESH AROMATIC-FINISH + bright-color + vivid-aroma + raw-dill-flavor. The STRATEGY: maximizes-DILL across-2-distinct-flavor-presentations = COOKED + RAW = layered-complexity. Same double-use principle: BAY-LEAF (cooked-only), GARLIC (sometimes both ways), PARSLEY (often-fresh-finish only). Pro-tip: SAVE-STALKS in-freezer for fish-stocks + soups; CHOPPED-LEAVES freeze-in-ice-cube-trays with-water = ready-fresh-dill year-round. For another classic light-fish dish worth trying, try Baked Pollock with Onions and Carrots.

Frequently Asked Questions

Other fish substitutions?

Recipe technique works EXCELLENTLY for many WHITE-FISH varieties. SUBSTITUTES: COD (premium + flaky + flavorful), HADDOCK (similar to-cod, mild), HAKE (Spanish-favorite, white-tender), TILAPIA (mild-affordable, mild-flavor), CATFISH (firm-southern-US-style), HALIBUT (luxe + thick-flake). FATTIER-FISH alternatives: SALMON (richer-soup + pink-color), TROUT (river-fish + delicate). The COOKING-TIME similar (15-20 min). Russian-ukha-tradition includes MIXED-FISH (better-flavor) = combine 2-3 varieties. Pro-tip: AVOID-OILY-FISH (mackerel, sardines) = OVERWHELMING fishy-flavor; STICK-with WHITE-MILD-VARIETIES for classic-clear-light-broth.

How to tell when fish is done?

Fish-doneness-indicators: COLOR change OPAQUE-WHITE (was translucent-grayish raw); FLAKES easily with-fork; INTERNAL-temperature 60°C (140°F) at-thickest-piece. TIME-GUIDELINE: 15-20 min gentle-boil = perfect for-medium-pieces. SMALLER-pieces: 10-12 min. LARGER-pieces (whole-steaks): 20-25 min. UNDER-cooked: translucent + raw-flavor + food-safety-concern. OVER-cooked: dry-tough + falling-apart + flavor-compromised. The 5-MIN-AFTER-OFF-HEAT-STEEP completes-cooking-gently for additional-doneness-margin. Pro-tip: TEST with-fork at-thickest-piece; should-flake-easily but pieces still-INTACT (not falling-apart-mush).

Frozen vs fresh fish?

Both-work for-soup. FROZEN-pollock (most-common): convenient + budget-friendly + quality-acceptable. PROPER-THAW (recipe-step-4 "thaw in air"): SLOW-thaw-overnight-fridge BEST (preserves-texture); ROOM-temp-faster (acceptable but-monitor); MICROWAVE-thaw worst (uneven + partial-cooking). FRESH-pollock: superior-flavor + firmer-texture + premium-cost; harder-to-find inland. Both work-equally for-SOUP (cooking-disguises minor-differences). Pro-tip: DRAIN excess-water from-thawed-fish before-cooking + pat-dry; reduces-broth-dilution + improves-fish-texture; use 5-min-paper-towel-press.

Can I add other vegetables?

YES — recipe-base flexible. ADDITIONS-WELCOME: CELERY-STALKS (chopped, with-onion-quarter-step = aromatic), LEEKS (sliced-rings = mild-onion + Mediterranean), TOMATO (1 fresh-diced or 1-tbsp-paste = Mediterranean-fish-soup), BELL-PEPPER (sweet-color), POTATO-VARIATIONS (use baby-new-potatoes for-elegance). HERBS-ADDITIONS: PARSLEY (with dill = double-fresh), TARRAGON (French-twist + fish-friendly), CHIVES (mild-onion-finish), THYME (Mediterranean). AVOID overwhelming-flavors (cabbage, broccoli) = compete with delicate-fish-flavor. Pro-tip: KEEP simple = let-fish + dill shine; resist-temptation to-overload; LESS-IS-MORE for fish-soup-elegance.