A Soup for Real Men

Muscovy, precursor to the Russian state, was famous for fish. So much so that fish was a staple of early Russians for half the year. Given this special relationship, it should not be surprising that particular, purely Russian, styles of preparation developed. Foreigners often could not appreciate this taste on the first try. In the 16th and 17th centuries, for example, foreign visitors were puzzled by how these “strange Russians” could eat anything so unusually smelly and unappetizing as pickled fish. But centuries passed and tastes changed;  now pickled red fish is considered a delicacy outside Russia as well.

By the way, here we’re talking about not pickled, but fresh fish. Or more exactly, about a broth made from it, which in Russia is called ukha.

Ukha is a man’s soup. Women are often less than enthusiastic about it, and here is why: any Russian man worth his “salt” will tell you that fish for ukha can’t be bought — it has to be caught with your own hands. Which means you have to go fishing. This sport is extremely popular the world over, a much-loved form of relaxation. But many Russian wives are not too wild about letting their husbands engage in this form of ‘sport’. They don’t trust them. And with good reason. All too often, they take with them more vodka than bait, and, after drinking in the fresh outdoors, bring home fish from the corner store. So do not be surprised if some Russian women, on hearing that you “love fishing,” try to guard their hubbies from your pernicious influence.

But let’s get back to the soup. 

At one time in Russia, all kinds of broths from meat and fish, which were often sweet, went by the name of ukha. It is unlikely now that anyone would be moved to add sugar to a meat or fish bouillon, for, as noted, tastes change. With time, under the influence of French cooking, Russian meat broths took on the name “bouillon,” and broths from fresh fish and spices began to be called ukha.

Different regions of Russia developed their own special ways of preparing ukha. In some places, folk wisdom asserts that under no circumstances should the fish be scaled — their slime adds a special aroma. In the North, they make ukha with milk, in the South, with a tomato base. But everywhere there is one common principle: the soup must be prepared from a variety of fish. Small fish (ruff, perch) give the bouillon a specific aroma; more noble fish (sig, burbot) impart a particular delicacy.

In Russia, ukha comes in many colors: white, with onions; black, with cinnamon, cloves and pepper; and, most famous of all, red, prepared from the most valuable kinds of fish — sturgeon, beluga and salmon. All this magnificence was seasoned with saffron and served on the tables of nobles and princes.

The common people, for their part, ate ukha made from simple fish. But who knows whether they fared much worse than the nobles. In preparing ukha, what matters is not only what ingredients are used, but where they come from. After all, a fish caught with your own hands tastes better than any other.

Of course, if you want to make ukha, you can buy the fish in a store. But it is always better to eat soup in the country, surrounded by nature. That is the tradition in Russia. These days, however, things have gotten to the point that a fish broth prepared in a cafeteria may be called simply “soup,” while the same dish eaten underneath a tree is “ukha.” We suggest a compromise recipe, in which you will find both fish you can catch yourself in any normal river and fish you will have to buy.

— Yelena Utenkova

UKHA

Ingredients:

2 pounds of perch

4 pounds of small fish

4-5 potatoes

1 parsley root

1 large onion

3-4 tomatoes

1 tablespoon butter

a bunch of parsley 

or garlic

salt to taste

2 liters of water

Make bouillon from the small fish (you can do this by using cheesecloth with uncleaned fish which may then be thrown out or fed to the cat). When the soup boils, add the chopped potatoes and onion. Cook until the potatoes are done. About 10 to 15 minutes before the end, add the perch pieces, along with chopped tomatoes and parsley root. Salt to taste and add your favorite spices — pepper, cloves, etc. Before serving, flavor with butter and finely-chopped greens.