The crack of a fire, the nearby small river and a cheerful company that has just returned from fishing. They are getting ready for dinner. What was the first dish that crossed your mind? Kebabs? Maybe! But they returned from fishing. Accordingly, the most logical dish that they can cook is the ear in a cauldron at the stake.
The light soup, which most people associate with relaxation, summer and the smell of bonfire, is an outstanding dish, and its ingredients are different for each cook. But how to cook an ear at home? Maybe there are options for how to do this without a bonfire? To get started, let's figure out where in principle this dish came from.
History of fish soup
Of course, the exact date when this soup was first prepared cannot be found. However, many historians argue that the name itself has an Indo-European root, which means that the ear came to us from there.
The first mention of how to cook an ear is in documents dating back to the 12th century AD. It is curious that then fish soup did not mean fish soup. It was rather called chowder. Therefore, the ear could be chicken and in some cases even pork.
Turning into Fish Soup
After some time, the influence of French culture affected people. Thus, the word broth appeared in our speech. Of course, this soup base is now used for soup.
However, previously only concentrated fish stock was used for the dish in question. Thus, people hoped that they would be able to take as many beneficial properties as possible from the gifts of water. Moreover, the very first fish ear was never diluted with cereals or potatoes. It was a very thick broth with a bright and rich taste, which was emphasized by delicious home-made moonshine and fresh soft rolls.
About the main thing in the ear
Since the recipe and method of cooking fish soup has been constantly changing, there are so many ways to cook it that it would be dishonest to share them on just one basis. Of course, there are those who divide the ear into double or triple, depending on how many times fish is added to the broth. But this cannot be called rational or logical. After all, there are other types of fish soup in which the frequency of laying fish in the broth depends on its variety, fat content and color.
In general, if we talk about fish, then there are certain requirements for it. First of all, the fish used must be sticky and tender. Her meat must have some sweetness. To understand what is at stake, we recommend that you try to use pikeperch, ruff, perch or whitefish - the same types of fish that were originally used.
Fish varieties
Some, looking for an answer to the question of how to cook an ear, come across two completely contradictory opinions. The first of them clearly states that a real fish soup should be prepared from one variety of fish. Therefore, several recipes for supporters of this thought are given below.
However, those who have already tried to cook fish soup, unanimously say that if you mix several varieties of fish, you get a no less aromatic and tasty dish. There are even those who call this assortment when cooking soup with a masterpiece.
If we talk about the basis of the recipe for fish soup at home, then you can use both river fish and sea fish. For example, many people like soups from perch, carp, crucian carp, pike, and salmon. But at the same time there is nothing wrong with making a fragrant ear of cod or sea bass, too. A very rich taste is obtained from halibut or notothenia. But there are prohibitions - never cook fish soup from roach, roach, herring, ram.
Basic principles of cooking
Like any other soup, real chefs will never cook an ear on a muddy or tasteless broth. That is why the preparation of the basis for soup is treated with special trepidation. Some note that the broth has a special taste, in which, in addition to fish, chicken is added.
Boil the broth carefully. He should not boil. Otherwise, you can lose the delicate fish aroma and get a muddy slurry. Better to preserve the fishy taste will help vegetables placed in the pan. As in the preparation of classic chicken or pork broth, half the onions and carrots will make the taste of fish more pleasant and sweet.
Moreover, in the matter of how to cook fish soup, it is worth noting that this dish does not like to be crowded with a lot of ingredients. That is why in most recipes, almost always the emphasis is on the choice of fish, and not anything else. Vegetables that are used in the ear are cut quite coarsely, and spices are selected at their discretion.
Fish Head Ear
This simple recipe for fish soup at home is familiar to many housewives. In the heads themselves there is practically no edible meat, but the broth from them turns out to be impeccable. In addition to the head, they take another 200 grams of fish fillet.
If we talk about vegetable components, then, as in the classic soup, several potatoes, medium carrots and one onion are used here. Peel and chop the carrots and potatoes.
Millet is used as cereal. For 2 liters of broth it will be enough to take a third of a glass of washed cereal.
When the gills are removed from the head and thoroughly washed, it is ready to become a part of the culinary masterpiece. How much fish is cooked in the ear depends on the type of meat used. But in this case, enough for 20 minutes over low heat.
When the head cools down, and the broth is filtered, you can proceed to the next stage of cooking soup. For this, all edible parts are taken out of the head and sent to the broth along with the fillet cut into pieces. Vegetables, cereals and several peas of allspice are immediately added to them.
When the soup comes to a boil, the fire under it must be reduced. When the vegetables and millet are ready, the ear is salted and several leaves of parsley are added. After two minutes of boiling, the soup can be removed from the heat and served.
River fish
This option, how to cook fish soup from river fish, is suitable for both home cooking and a cauldron. For a truly delicious soup, take:
- A kilogram of peeled fresh river fish.
- A third cup of millet.
- 5 potatoes.
- 1 onion.
- 2 liters of broth.
- Spices to taste.
Since river fish are not often large in size, they need to be carefully and thoroughly cleaned. This will make the soup clean and tasty.
Next, clean fish is placed in water and put on fire. When the fish begins to boil, if everything is cooked on the stove, and not on the fire, you can reduce the fire and make sure that there is no foam on the broth. When it appears, it is important to get rid of it immediately.
How long to cook? Everything is very simple - until the meat begins to lag behind the bone. On average, it is about 10 minutes.
Usually at this moment people are divided into two types. Some do not mind getting the bones out of the soup, others want the soup to be a true masterpiece and carefully clean the fish. In any case, you need to get it out of the broth, and finely chopped onions, cubes of potatoes and cereals into it.
When the potatoes are ready, put the fish in the pan. All together is cooked for about 5 minutes and ends with seasoning with spices and herbs. Serving such a soup is worth it immediately.
Red fish
Red fish soup is a great way to please yourself with a tasty and healthy dish. On average, it takes about an hour to cook it.
Start cooking with the preparation of the ingredients. So, 300 grams of red fish is cut into small portions. Onions, peppers and a little garlic are cut as finely as possible with a knife, while carrots are cut into rings, and then into quarters. Potatoes are cut into medium-sized cubes. Typically, about 300 grams of this vegetable is sufficient for this soup.
How to cook such an ear
We start cooking. In boiling water for 10 minutes add fish and bay leaf. Some people like the use of black pepper peas in the broth. But what's important, do not use salt.
Meanwhile, a small amount of butter and vegetable oil is mixed in a pan and the onions are passaged on it. When it reaches a golden color, carrot and pepper are added to it. For complete frying, 7 minutes are enough. Many world-famous chefs add spices and spices to the pan, such as coriander or ground black pepper. Thanks to the heat treatment in the pan, the spices reveal their taste and aroma to the fullest.
Now that both the passivation and the fish are ready, it is time to move on to the next cooking step. To do this, you need to carefully remove the fish, and strain the broth itself. When he goes to the fire again, put potatoes in it. You need to cook the vegetable until half-cooked, and only then add the passivation.
5 minutes after all the vegetables have been combined in the broth, if desired, the soup can be salted and fresh greens added.
It is also curious how to serve the ear of red fish. Why? The fact is that the fish is not put back into the soup. It is sent immediately to a portioned plate and only then is poured with soup on top.
Bonfire with pike
Perhaps this dish can be called a real classic. It was tried, if not all, then every second.
It will take at least an hour and a half to cook such a dish. But the result is worth it. Of the ingredients for pike soup, in addition to the fish itself, it is worth taking:
- Half a chicken carcass.
- 8 medium potatoes.
- 1 carrot.
- 150 grams of vodka.
- A bunch of parsley.
- A bunch of wild garlic.
- 10 pieces of young garlic.
It is clear that the start of cooking the soup will be the creation of the broth. To do this, boil the chicken in five liters of clean water. When the meat is ready, they take it out of the cauldron, and in its place send uncut greens. Potatoes and carrots, meanwhile, are chopped and also sent to cook for 15 minutes.
While the vegetables are boiling over a fire, the pike is peeled and portioned. Together with vegetables, it is cooked for about 10 minutes. After this time, take out the greens from the soup and add vodka. And then they take out a birch log from a fire and stew it in a cauldron. But why add vodka and logs to your ear ?
This is not just a ritual. This is how the bonfire flavor and soft notes of a wheat drink acquire the ear.