Russian Fish Soup Recipe for Ukha, a Traditional Fish Soup Made with Salmon

This Russian fish soup recipe for ukha is based on a centuries-old traditional Russian soup said to be a favourite of emperors and peasants alike. My family recipe makes an easy fish soup, made with salmon that’s fragrant with fresh dill, although historically this fisherman’s soup was made with several types of fish and a fish head stock. Serve with sour cream and dark rye bread.

Russians and Ukrainians love their soups and my family was no different. A typical lunch was a big bowl of soup and black rye bread or piroshki, the hand pies filled with savoury mince and vermicelli. So perhaps it’s due to my Russian-Ukrainian genes that I was drawn to another soup-loving culinary culture, that of Southeast Asia, and specifically Cambodia, the country that’s been our home for over a dozen years.

I grew up in my Russian-Ukrainian grandparents’ home slurping soup for breakfast, lunch and dinner, in summer and winter, spring and autumn. Along with borscht and shchi, this fragrant fish soup called ukha, made with salmon, was one of my favourite soups, and one of our best fish soup recipes.

If you’re also a salmon lover, browse our best salmon recipes, which include recipes for Russian blini with smoked salmon and caviar, a twist on that: buckwheat pancakes with smoked salmon and ‘caviar’ of gherkin and radish, creamy smoked salmon dip, elegant devilled eggs with smoked salmon and caviar, Cambodian salmon ‘ceviche’, smoked salmon ‘carpaccio’, salmon potato salad, smoked salmon pasta with capers and dill pickles, Vietnamese caramelised salmon, an easy salmon tray bake, salmon fillets with crispy skin, and scrambled eggs with smoked salmon and caviar.

Before I tell you more about my Russian fish soup recipe for ukha, I have a favour to ask. Grantourismo is reader-funded. If you’ve cooked my Russian family recipes or any of our recipes and enjoyed them, please consider supporting Grantourismo. You could support our epic Cambodian cuisine history and cookbook on Patreon; or buy something on Amazon, such as these cookbooks for culinary travellers, cookbooks by Australian chefs, or classic cookbooks for serious cooks. Now let me tell you about our Russian fish soup recipe for ukha.

Russian Fish Soup Recipe for Ukha – A Traditional Fish Soup Made with Salmon

With its roots in an ancient Sanskrit word for broth, ‘ukha’ wasn’t always a fish soup. It was thought to be a clear soup made with chicken and vegetables, and a seasoning of salt, pepper, and spices such as paprika, saffron, cloves and cinnamon – until the 17th century when it became known as a fishermen’s soup.

Like other Slavic fish soups, such as riblja corba from Montenegro, ukha was a broth that fishermen made at the end of their day with whatever they had left of the catch, and historically was made with several types of fish – usually perch, pike, trout, and/or salmon – and was traditionally made with a fish head stock or even a stock made from a whole fish, with filleted fish pieces added later.

The soup that I grew up with was much simpler, typically made with one type of fish, usually salmon, no fish stock, some seasoning, vegetables and fresh dill. It was always served with dark rye bread and sour cream. Just a few tips to making this Russian fish soup recipe for ukha.

Tips for Making this Russian Ukha Recipe

I only have a few tips to making this traditional fish soup, as it’s a cinch to make.

Water or Stock

This ukha recipe makes a light soup, and while it tastes delicious just as it is, by all means use a fish stock instead of water for a richer soup. You could use a store-bought fish stock, or even bouillon or stock cubes.

A bowl of ukha for lunch, served with sour cream and rye bread, was a meal in my family’s home. My recipe reflects that, calling for 2 litres of water, so 500 ml per person, which for me is a standard bowl of soup, making enough for four people, or two and you’ll have leftovers.

If you’re serving this as a first course, you’ll serve smaller bowls, so use less water if you like. This is a fairly quick soup to make, but some liquid evaporates when a soup is simmering. 

Salmon or Other Fish

I’ve only used salmon, but as I mentioned above, ukha was traditionally made with several types of fish, including perch, pike, trout, and/or salmon, so feel free to use an alternative fish or even several types of fish.

Seasoning and Spice

This was a well-seasoned soup, with generous measures of salt and pepper, but I’ve since adjusted those, partly because I’ve dramatically reduced my salt intake after discovering I had dangerously high blood pressure. Plus, we all have different palates.

My grandmother taught me to always taste and season during the cooking process. When I’m cooking recipes for the first time I usually start with half of any seasoning/spice listed if it looks like more than I’d normally use and gradually add more after tasting.

So, whether you’re watching your salt intake or not a fan of pepper, hold back, use half, taste, and adjust the seasoning to suit your palate.

Also, feel free to add a strand or two of saffron or a little cinnamon or ground cloves, which were historically used.

Fresh Herbs

I’m a lover of fresh fragrant dill, but fresh parsley is also used in ukha, so if you’re not a fellow dill lover, opt for parsley instead.

Make sure to serve the soup with sour cream and rye bread or crusty sourdough.

Russian Fish Soup Recipe for Ukha

Russian Fish Soup Recipe for Ukha

AuthorLara Dunston

This easy Russian fish soup recipe for ukha is based on a centuries-old traditional Russian soup that was said to be a favourite of emperors and peasants alike. A fisherman’s soup, ukha historically included several types of fish – usually perch, pike, trout, and/or salmon – and was traditionally made with a fish head stock. These days, things are kept simple and it’s typically made with one type of fish – we’ve used salmon – some seasoning, vegetables and fresh dill, and is served in dark rye bread and sour cream.

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Course Dinner, Lunch, Soup

Cuisine Russian

Servings made with recipeServings 4

Calories 917 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 onion - large, chopped into 1 cm-wide slices
• 2 cloves garlic - finely chopped
• 2 litres water
• 400 g salmon - sliced into bite-sized pieces
• 3 bay leaves
• ½ tsp salt - or more to taste
• ½ tsp ground pepper - or more to taste
• ½ tsp sugar
• ½ tsp smoked paprika - or more to taste
• 1 large carrot - peeled, sliced into rounds, chopped into quarters
• 2 large potatoes - peeled, diced into pieces same size as carrot
• 2 tbsp fresh dill

Instructions

 

• In a soup pot, fry onion and garlic in olive oil for a few minutes until onion is transparent.
• Add two litres of water, 100g salmon, potatoes, carrots, bay leaves, pepper, sugar, paprika, and bring to boil.
• Reduce heat and add remainder of the salmon and half the fresh dill, taste, and continue to simmer until potatoes are cooked.
• Taste and adjust seasoning if needed, then ladle into bowls and garnish with the rest of the fresh dill, add a dollop of sour cream, and serve with dark rye bread.

Nutrition

Calories: 917kcalCarbohydrates: 24gProtein: 82gFat: 54gSaturated Fat: 8gPolyunsaturated Fat: 13gMonounsaturated Fat: 29gCholesterol: 220mgSodium: 4877mgPotassium: 2433mgFiber: 5gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 10948IUVitamin C: 15mgCalcium: 132mgIron: 5mg

Please do let us know if you make our Russian fish soup recipe for ukha as we’d love to know how it turns out for you.