Kalja, a Russian fish soup, was most often prepared from candát, or fish trimmings. The spicy flavour of the soup is given by the lure of cucumbers, dried tarragon and fresh dill.
Ingredients:
500-750 g
of fish trimmings
.
150 g
of leeks
1.5 l
water
1 dl
cucumber brine
2 pcs
sweet and sour pickles
2 pcs
peeled potatoes
1 pc
bean leaves
1 pcs
petrels
1 pc
carrots
1 pc
coils
1 pc
citron
/tr>
4 pcs
allspice beads
4 pcs
of whole peppercorns
2 tbsp
smooth flour
2 tablespoons
butter
1 tablespoon
td>chopped fresh dill
1 tsp
td>dried tarragon
pinch of saffron (can be substituted for turmeric, added just for color in soup)
Procedure:
Cover fish trimmings in a pot with water, add unpeeled halved onion, 2 peeled potatoes, 1 carrot and 1 parsley, add salt and wild spices, bay leaf, allspice, whole pepper. Bring the soup to a boil, skim off the foam with a ladle, turn down the heat and let the broth simmer under the lid for 30 minutes.
Drain the broth, set aside the Vegetable Recipes and potatoes, and trim the meat from the trimmings into a bowl.
In a saucepan, make a roux of butter and plain flour and pour in the fish stock. Add the sliced cucumbers and pour in the cucumber liquor, bring to the boil, 5 minutes before the end add the sliced lemon, dried tarragon, a pinch of ginger to the soup.
Finally, add chopped dill to the finished soup, cover with a lid, let stand for 10 minutes.
Place the fish meat on a plate, pour the boiling soup. If you like thicker soup you can add diced Vegetable Recipes and potatoes, but the real kalja is without these ingredients.
Note:
The name kalja can be found in the Balkans, it is also a name for a soup made from different ingredients. Bosnian kalja is prepared from lamb, cabbage and other ingredients.