Chef Dimitra
Aegean Island Kakavia (Κακαβιά)
Aegean kakavia is the fisherman’s soup named for the pot itself: small rockfish, potato, onion, lemon, and enough olive oil to turn a poor catch rich.
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Cycladic Psarosoupa Avgolemono (Ψαρόσουπα Αυγολέμονο)
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Cycladic psarosoupa is the island family pot: whole white fish poached with potatoes and celery, then finished with lemony avgolemono and served with the fish alongside.
Soups & Stews
Greek
Comfort Food
One Pot
Special Occasion
25 min
Active Time
45 min cook•1 hr 10 min total
Yield6 servings
Cycladic psarosoupa is fish soup from the island table, a whole firm fish poached over potatoes, carrots, celery, and onion, then finished with avgolemono, the egg-lemon thickening that turns a clear broth pale and silky. The fish stays whole because the bones give the pot its strength, and because the table should see what fed it.
The method that decides the dish is the avgolemono. You warm the eggs with hot broth a ladle at a time, whisking as you go, so they thicken the soup instead of curdling. After that, no boiling. Be firm there and the rest is gentle cooking.
Use the fish that is good today. Sea bream, sea bass, dentex, grouper, or another firm white fish will do. Λίγα και καλά, a few things, and good ones. My own notes for psarosoupa always have the same warning in the margin: buy the fish before you decide the soup.
Psarosoupa belongs to the household kitchens of the Aegean islands, separate from kakavia, the older fishermen's boat soup named from the ancient cooking pot, the kakkabe. Island cooks stretched one good fish by serving the broth first and the flesh beside it, with potatoes and celery making the meal complete. Avgolemono entered many Greek soups as a practical thickener before cream was common in the Greek kitchen, especially in family dishes meant to nourish the sick, the old, and children.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
whole firm white fish
Quantity
1.2kg
scaled and gutted, kept whole
water
Quantity
1.8L
waxy potatoes
Quantity
500g
peeled and cut into large chunks
carrots
Quantity
250g
cut into thick rounds
celery stalks with leaves
Quantity
160g
cut into large pieces
yellow onion
Quantity
150g
peeled and halved
extra virgin Koroneiki olive oil
Quantity
80ml
bay leaves
Quantity
2
fine sea salt
Quantity
10g
plus more to taste
black peppercorns
Quantity
1/2 teaspoon
large eggs
Quantity
2
fresh lemon juice
Quantity
80ml
flat-leaf parsley
Quantity
20g
chopped
lemon wedges (optional)
Quantity
as needed
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| whole firm white fishscaled and gutted, kept whole | 1.2kg |
| water | 1.8L |
| waxy potatoespeeled and cut into large chunks | 500g |
| carrotscut into thick rounds | 250g |
| celery stalks with leavescut into large pieces | 160g |
| yellow onionpeeled and halved | 150g |
| extra virgin Koroneiki olive oil | 80ml |
| bay leaves | 2 |
| fine sea saltplus more to taste | 10g |
| black peppercorns | 1/2 teaspoon |
| large eggs | 2 |
| fresh lemon juice | 80ml |
| flat-leaf parsleychopped | 20g |
| lemon wedges (optional) | as needed |
Equipment Needed
- •wide heavy pot, 28 to 30cm
- •two wide fish spatulas
- •fine-mesh strainer
Instructions
- 1
Prepare the Fish
Rinse the fish inside and out, then pat it dry. If it is too long for your pot, ask the fishmonger to cut it once across the middle, keeping the head and bones. They are not decoration here. They give the broth its body.
- 2
Start the Broth
Put the water, potatoes, carrots, celery, onion, olive oil, bay leaves, salt, and peppercorns into a wide pot. Bring to a boil, then lower to a steady simmer and cook for 18 to 20 minutes, until the potatoes are almost tender but still hold their edges.
- 3
Poach the Fish
Lay the fish gently over the vegetables. The liquid should just come around it, not roll over it like a storm. Cover and simmer quietly for 12 to 16 minutes, depending on thickness, until the flesh pulls from the backbone in clean flakes.
Do not boil the fish hard. A violent pot breaks the flesh and clouds the broth. - 4
Lift and Strain
Lift the fish onto a platter with two wide spatulas. Remove the onion, bay leaves, and peppercorns. Keep the potatoes, carrots, and celery in the pot, or lift some to the fish platter if your family serves the fish and vegetables together.
- 5
Temper the Avgolemono
Whisk the eggs and lemon juice in a bowl until pale and loose. Add two ladles of hot broth in a thin stream, whisking all the time, then whisk in two more ladles. Warm the eggs slowly and the avgolemono thickens like silk. Pour eggs straight into the pot and they scramble. That's the whole trick.
- 6
Finish the Soup
Take the pot off the heat. Stir the warmed avgolemono back into the soup, moving the ladle gently through the broth. Do not boil it again. Taste for salt and lemon. The broth should be bright, round, and lightly thickened, not heavy.
- 7
Serve the Table
Serve the soup in bowls with potato, carrot, celery, and a little parsley. Bring the whole fish to the table on its platter, with lemon wedges and a thread of olive oil. Each person takes fish beside the soup. This is the family way, generous and plain.
Chef Tips
- •Sourcing wins here. If the fish smells strong, has dull eyes, or soft flesh, don't make psarosoupa today. Cook lentils or beans and wait for the right fish.
- •Keep the fish whole if your pot allows it. Head, bones, and skin give the broth body, while fillets alone make a thinner soup.
- •Leftover soup keeps one day in the refrigerator, but reheat it gently and never let it boil after the avgolemono is in. The fish is best eaten the day it is cooked.
Advance Preparation
- •Ask the fishmonger to scale and gut the fish the same day you cook it.
- •The vegetables can be cut up to 6 hours ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator.
- •Squeeze the lemon just before making the avgolemono; old juice tastes flat.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 455g)
Calories
375 calories
Total Fat
20 g
Saturated Fat
4 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
15 g
Cholesterol
115 mg
Sodium
700 mg
Total Carbohydrates
21 g
Dietary Fiber
3 g
Sugars
4 g
Protein
27 g
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