Biliaivska Yushka (біляївська юшка, Dniester fish soup)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •A big modern stockpot or outdoor cauldron, 6 litres or larger
• •A slotted spoon or fish spatula
• •A wide pan for the zasmazhka
• •A mortar and pestle for the salamur

Instructions

1. 1

   Sort the fish

   Rinse the fish quickly in cold water and pat away any loose scales or blood. If you have heads, tails, and frames, keep them; that is where the broth gets its backbone. Cut larger fish into big pieces so they can cook without falling apart, and salt them lightly while you start the pot.

   Fillets alone make a polite fish tea. Bone-in pieces make yushka.
2. 2

   Start the broth

   Put the water into a big pot with the whole onion, chunked carrot, parsley root or celeriac if using, bay leaves, peppercorns, dill stems, and any fish heads or frames. Bring it slowly to a gentle simmer and skim as the foam rises. Keep it quiet until the smell changes from raw fish to sweet river broth.

   A hard boil muddies the broth and shakes bitterness from the bones. Let the pot breathe softly.
3. 3

   Add the potatoes

   Lift out the spent fish frames and vegetables with a slotted spoon, then strain the broth if you want it very clear. Return the broth to the pot, add the potatoes, and season with salt. Simmer until the potatoes yield at the edge of a spoon but still hold their shape.

4. 4

   Make the zasmazhka

   Warm the sunflower oil in a wide pan and add the diced onion. Let it turn translucent, then add the grated carrot and cook gently until the oil glows orange and the carrot smells sweet. This is zasmazhka, the slow-sweated flavour base, and it goes in near the end so its sweetness sits brightly on the clear broth instead of flattening into the stock.

5. 5

   Poach the fish

   Slide the fish pieces into the pot in a single generous layer if you can. The broth should tremble around them, not roll. Cook until the flesh turns opaque and begins to loosen from the bone when nudged, then lift the fish carefully onto a warm platter. Don't chase a clock here; watch the flesh and listen to the pot.

6. 6

   Finish the yushka

   Stir the zasmazhka into the broth and taste. Add black pepper, more salt if needed, and most of the chopped dill. The broth should be clear, golden, lightly oily on top, and strong enough to taste of fish without smelling heavy. Keep the fish separate for serving, as Biliaivka does.

7. 7

   Mix the salamur

   Crush the garlic with the salt until it turns juicy and rough. Stir in the hot pepper if using, then the vinegar or fermented tomato brine, then enough hot broth to make a sharp spoonable sauce. Set it on the table so each person can wake their own bowl and dab a little onto the fish.

8. 8

   Serve by the river

   Ladle broth and potatoes into deep bowls, scatter with the last dill, and bring the fish on its own platter. Spoon salamur into the bowl at the table, little by little. It should bite first, then settle into the sweetness of the carrot, onion, and fish.

Chef Tips

• •A mixed catch is the point. One oily fish, one lean fish, and some bony heads or frames will give you a broth with more depth than any single tidy fillet.
• •If river fish is hard to find, use sustainable bone-in sea bass, trout, or hake collars and heads. A bit more modern, yes, but the method still holds.
• •Do not overcook the fish. The broth forgives a longer simmer before the fish goes in; the fish itself does not forgive a rolling boil.
• •Fermented tomato brine in the salamur is my southern habit. Vinegar is common and clean, but brine gives a rounder sourness if you have a jar open.
• •Serve the fish apart from the broth. It looks plain until you eat it this way, then you understand: the soup stays clear and the fish keeps its dignity.

Advance Preparation

• •Ask the fishmonger for heads, collars, and frames the day before; they make the broth taste like itself.
• •The broth base can be made a day ahead and chilled, but poach the fish shortly before serving so it stays tender.
• •The salamur can be crushed an hour ahead. Add the hot broth just before serving so the garlic opens up at the table.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 590g)