Kholodets iz Ryby (холодець із риби, fish in aspic)

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •A 6 to 8 litre stockpot
• •A fine sieve and clean muslin
• •A shallow family-size glass or stoneware serving dish
• •A small saucer for the set test

Instructions

1. 1

   Clean the fish

   Rinse the fish pieces quickly under cold water and pat them dry. Check the heads carefully: the gills must be removed, because they make the broth bitter and muddy. Keep the skin, fins, tails, and bones. They are not scraps here. They are the set.

   Ask the fishmonger for extra heads and frames when you buy the fish. Fillets alone will not give you a proper kholodets, no matter how lovingly you stare at the pot.
2. 2

   Start the broth

   Put the heads, frames, tails, fins, and skin into a big stockpot with the cold water. Bring it up slowly until the surface only trembles, then skim away the grey foam as it rises. Add the onion, quartered carrot, bay, peppercorns, allspice, dill stems, and salt. Keep it at a quiet murmur, not a boil, until the kitchen smells cleanly of fish and roots, about an hour.

3. 3

   Poach the pieces

   Lower the serving pieces of fish into the broth and poach them gently until the flesh turns opaque and just begins to loosen from the bone. Thick pieces take longer, thin ones less; watch the fish, not the clock. Lift them out carefully onto a plate before they break apart, then cover loosely.

4. 4

   Strengthen the set

   Let the bones and trimmings keep murmuring in the pot until the broth feels slightly sticky between finger and thumb. It should taste stronger than a soup, because cold dulls salt and scent. Add the sliced carrot coins for the last few minutes, just until tender, then lift them out and keep them for the dish.

   This is the step that decides the dish. A hard boil gives you cloudy broth and tired fish; a quiet tremble gives you amber that sets.
5. 5

   Strain and test

   Add the crushed garlic for five minutes, then strain the broth through a fine sieve lined with damp muslin. Do not press on the solids, or the broth will cloud. Spoon a little broth onto a saucer and chill it for ten minutes. If it wrinkles softly when pushed, you're ready. If it stays loose, simmer the strained broth uncovered until it reduces and feels tackier.

6. 6

   Arrange the dish

   Pick the cooked fish away from any large bones, keeping generous pieces where you can. Arrange it in a shallow serving dish with the carrot coins, egg slices if using, and dill sprigs. Don't fuss it into tiny perfection. This should look served, not arranged with tweezers.

7. 7

   Pour and chill

   Taste the broth once more; it should be a shade saltier than you want it warm. Let it cool until just warm, then ladle it gently over the fish until everything is covered. Chill uncovered until set, then cover and leave overnight if you can. When ready, it should tremble when the dish moves and cut cleanly with a spoon.

8. 8

   Serve it cold

   Serve the kholodets cold with prepared horseradish or beet horseradish, black rye bread, and sharp pickles. A little dill on top is welcome. Enough for eight guests or one hungry Ukrainian, depending on the table.

Chef Tips

• •Remove the gills from every fish head. This is not fussing; gills turn a clear broth bitter and grey.
• •Season the broth more firmly than you would a hot soup. Cold food needs a louder hand with salt, or it goes quiet on the tongue.
• •If the saucer test stays loose, reduce the broth instead of panicking. The collagen is there; you may simply have given it too much water.
• •Carp gives body and sweetness, pike-perch gives clean white flakes, catfish gives richness. A mix is very Ukrainian river logic.
• •Make it a day ahead. Kholodets likes the fridge and the cook likes not doing this while guests are already taking off their coats.

Advance Preparation

• •Kholodets needs at least 6 hours in the fridge to set properly, and overnight is better.
• •The finished dish keeps covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.
• •Do not freeze it. The jelly weeps when thawed, and then the whole thing looks sad.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 260g)