Usually done on the shore of a fishing source or outside of a camp site; typically tastes better on a chilly evening or for lunch on a chilly day. It has many variations but very simple easy ingredients that are easy to grab with you on the road and wont go bad if you don't have any luck on the water! This Russian-Slavic soup is called UKHA [oo-ha] - and should be in every person's wilderness recipe arsenal!
The basis of the soup consists of a fish broth - eating the fish itself is very much up to the angler/camper and is completely optional! Boiling fish, much like boiling water, sanitizes the fish of all bad microbes and pathogens which makes it safe to eat - fresh out of the water!
NOTE: If you don't have the opportunity to go fishing or prefer store-bought fish, you can always do this one a stove top at home (preferably with freshwater fish).
Prep time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour minutes
Yield: 4-6 servings
Ingredients:
The recipe calls for several young freshwater fish (in Ontario, we've used crappies, perch or even young small mouth bass). The fish has to be gutted but doesn't necessarily have to be scaled or beheaded - again it depends on whether or not you'd like to eat it when the soup is done.
7 medium sized perch, gutted (+ scaled if eating later)
2 yellow onions, 1 medium diced + 1 large unpeeled
1 large whole carrot, peeled
4 potatoes, peeled & cubed
1 head of garlic, unpeeled
Salt
Whole black peppercorns
3 Bay leaves
Some dill
+ cheesecloth or medical gauze
+ black bread
Instructions:
1. Cut up the fish into chunks (bigger than your cubed potatoes) and portion them into a makeshift cheesecloth sack - you can make a sack of fish per person or combine it into one larger sack to portion out later. This will keep the fish more or less together, will allow the fish to both cook and flavor to seep into the broth without leaving pesky scales or bones in the soup. Don't forget to double cloth the little sacks for good measure!
2. Make your fire (or turn on the stove) & fill your soup pot with water. Add the little fish sacks in the water! In the meantime while you wait for the water to boil, prep your vegetables.
3. Once the water is boiling, add the unpeeled onion, head of garlic, and whole carrot, salt and pepper. Let the broth simmer for at least 40-50 minutes. Check the taste of the water as you go to make sure the broth is salty enough.
4. Closer to the hour mark, fish out the onion and garlic head and discard these. Take out the carrot as well and dice it up. Put back the carrot and add the potato, diced onion, bay leaf and dill. Cook for 15 more minutes. (You can add a shot of vodka at this step for show in front of your non-russian friends - the vodka evaporates but it looks authentic!)
5. Your soup is ready to serve in about an hour from when your water started boiling. Fish out the pouch(es), including one in every bowl. Alternatively you can serve the fish on a plate for everyone to help themselves. Some people discard the fish however for the first time, it's worth a try with it!
Serve with black bread and feel your body gain back some warmth after a long time fishing in the cold. Feel free to tack on any other outdoor friendly sides such as vodka, kolbasa, or kotleti. Check out these photos below (from across the internet) of Ukha being made on an open flame:
Let me know how you like it in the comments below. Please subscribe to get notified of my new content and follow me on Instagram @lindakamaev for more posts!
Priyatnogo Appetita!
Linda Kamaev