Thracian fish soup

The recipe is from my grandmother Katerina from the Plovdiv village of Trud.

Preparing the broth:

1. Cut the onion head into two halves. Only one half is used for the broth - stick ten clove buds in it and place it in a saucepan with 2 liters of cold water.

This is Grandma Katerina's first secret for the magical fish soup. Please, don't be so clever as to heat the water in the electric kettle beforehand, because a good broth is made only with cold water, and on moderate heat.

2. In the pot with the onion and cloves, add: 1 tablespoon of black peppercorns; 2-3 cloves of garlic; 1 carrot cut into large pieces; the stalks of a few sprigs of parsley and the fish head/tail, and if you have both, that's perfect. The fish head MUST have the gills removed.

3. Place the pot over medium-high heat. When the liquid boils, reduce the heat slightly and continue cooking for another 15-20 minutes (as long as it takes to cook the fish).

4. When the fish is done, remove the tail to cool, then carefully separate the meat, removing the bones. The head remains in the broth to add more flavor.

5. Now comes the mackerel – it is grilled and then also deboned. Thus, the fish soup includes two types of fish (one river and one sea) with two different heat treatments (one is boiled, the other is grilled). The aroma of the grill will enhance the taste of the fish soup in a way that is difficult to describe in words. You just have to try it!

6. Then prepare the vegetables. Cut the other half of the onion into small cubes. In the same way, cut the red and green peppers, potatoes, carrots and parsnips (you can do without it, but its magical aroma greatly enhances the soup). All vegetables should be cut into small cubes of the same size.

7. Grate the tomato to remove the skin. If you want a more delicate soup, first split the tomato, dip it in boiling water for 10-15 seconds, and then immediately in ice water; then peel it, then cut it into 4 equal parts and remove the seeds, then cut only the fleshy part into strips and then into cubes.

Preparing the fish soup:

1. Heat a little fat (oil/ghee/olive oil) in a saucepan and add the onion to sauté delicately, stirring and being careful not to turn golden.

2. After a minute, add the carrots and continue to simmer. The carrots will give the fish soup a noble color.

3. After another 1 minute, add the remaining vegetables, salt and put 1 tsp. dry dill. Stir and immediately add the wine. This is Grandma Katerina's second secret for the magical taste of fish soup. Stir gently and leave the lid open so that the alcohol evaporates and the vegetables change their color less.

4. After a minute, add the entire amount of strained broth, add the chili pepper halved lengthwise (you can save it, but the idea of ​​the chili pepper is to give a pleasant heat to the taste, not to make you spicy). Then reduce the heat to a little less than medium and leave the soup to simmer.

5. When all the vegetables are almost ready – add the tomato and the pieces of boneless fish. This is Grandma Katerina’s third secret – combining boiled and baked fish. Taste and add a little more salt if necessary. If necessary, add a little water. The fish soup is not a soup, but a bit thicker. Finally, let the soup boil for another 5 minutes.

6. Remove the fish soup from the heat and add a handful of fresh dill, finely chopped. If you don't have fresh dill, you will need to add another half to one teaspoon of dried dill in the previous step (5), when you add the salt.

7. Fish soup is NOT made with milk or eggs. In the rural cuisine of Trud, this is sacrilege – to combine fish with milk and eggs. That is why the soup remains clear, although with so many vegetables and at this density it is very difficult to say that it is clear.

8. Thracian fish soup is served with a brine of crushed fresh eel with garlic and vinegar (or lemon juice, but it is authentically made with homemade apple cider vinegar). It can also be served with toasted bread rubbed with garlic, thus bringing the rural cuisine of Trud very close to Italian bruschetta.

Enjoy!