This Easy Fish Head Soup, also known as Ukha recipe, is a simple and nourishing fish soup recipe from Russian and Ukrainian cuisine, made with fish, potatoes, carrots, and fresh herbs. It's light and refreshing, and the flavorful broth and tender fish will keep you full and satisfied.
Ukha is a traditional Russian fish soup that typically includes pieces of fish, vegetables like potatoes and carrots, and fresh herbs. It is known for its clear broth, flavored with dill, and often served with a slice of lemon. Ukha is a popular dish in Russian cuisine and variations can be found in other Eastern European countries.
And you'll love the simplicity of this fish soup: it's light, yet hearty. Simple to make, but nourishing!
Looking for more refreshing soup recipes?
Check out porcupine soup, gluten-free chicken noodle soup, and shurpa (lamb soup recipe).
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Recipe Overview
- Prep and Cook Time: 10 minutes to prep and 20 minutes to cook
- Cooking Method: Stove-top
- Dietary Info: Whole30, Paleo, Keto and GAPS with swaps, WAPF, Ancestral-diet
- Tools Needed: Large stockpot
- Skill Level: Easy
What is an ancestral diet? Read my post on what nourishing foods are based on the traditional dietary principles of the Weston A. Price Foundation.
Reasons to Love this Fish Soup Recipe
There's so many reasons to love this simple yet delicious soup. For starters, it's a sustainable win - using the whole fish means no waste, and that includes those often-forgotten heads and tails. Remember, our diet philosophy of eating nose-to-tail but also waste not, want not?
It's easy, nutrient-dense, and can be tailored to your diet (swap potatoes for cauliflower if you're low carb or on the GAPS diet).
Want rich flavor? Use salmon heads and tails.
Prefer something milder? White fish fillets will do the trick. Salmon fillets are also much milder but still fattier than white fish so you have options.
But I'll add this: the best technique to maximize the health benefits of fish heads is making fish stock (fish fumet) with it and then using that liquid gold to make fish soup recipe.
Whatever you decide with, it's obvious that fish head soup is a nutrient-dense, quick, and versatile meal that wastes nothing and makes the most of every part of the fish. Sounds like a win-win to me!
Ingredients for Fish Head Soup
- Fish: For a quick fish soup, you can use skin-on salmon fillets, or for richer flavor, opt for fish heads and tails. Both options are included here, but for a more traditional fish head soup, I recommend using fish fumet—check out my post for detailed tips on how to make fish fumet.
- Vegetables: You'll need one large yellow onion, 1-½ pounds of Yukon gold potatoes (5-6 potatoes), and a few fresh carrots. Sub cauliflower for potatoes if going low carb or GAPS.
- Aromatics: A few bay leaves, black peppercorns, and sea salt to add flavor to the fish soup.
- Fresh dill: Any fresh herbs will work, but fresh dill pairs wonderfully with fish soup. Check out my post on how to chop dill so it stays fresh longer when you bring it from the market.
Substitutions and Variations
- Experiment with fish varieties. This fish soup recipe will work with other kinds of fish like cod, halibut, trout, or sea bass. I'm more accustomed to using salmon fish head, but this simple fish soup is very versatile.
- Use any part of the fish. If you don't have a head of the fish, use fish bones. You can also just use a fish fillet if you want to avoid any strong flavor.
- Add noodles. Feel free to add rice noodles or ramen to the fish soup recipe to give it more substance.
- Increase veggies. Add more fresh veggies like bok choy, spinach, bell peppers, or spring onions.
Make it Nutrient-Dense
Use wild-caught fish for maximum nutrition from omega-3 fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals. Wild-caught seafood has a higher nutritional profile than farm raised. Sadly, I have a hard time sourcing wild-caught fresh salmon heads.
How to Make Fish Soup Recipe
The complete printable recipe is below in the recipe card for your convenience. Follow these simple step-by-step instructions for the best results.
Step 1. Fill
In a large stockpot, place well-washed fish heads, tails, or fillets and add aromatics such as bay leaves, onions, and black peppercorns. Season with salt and fill with enough water to cover all contents.
Step 2. Simmer
Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, then lower heat so that it barely simmers with an occasional bubble. Gently simmer until fish has cooked through. Fillets will cook quicker than heads and tails.
Step 3. Strain
Remove the fish, onions, and bay leaves from the pot. When cool enough to handle, peel the skin off the fish fillets and flake with a fork. If making fish soup with fish heads, strain the broth into a medium-size stockpot and separate the fleshy pieces of the fish. Discard the carcass, skin, onions, and bay leaves.
Step 4. Cook
To the pot with the fish stock, add diced potatoes and sliced carrots and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Then, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer until potatoes are tender.
Step 5. Add
Transfer the cooked salmon flakes from the fish head, tails, or fish fillets to the pot and simmer for 2 more minutes to warm it up.
Step 6. Garnish
Take the salmon head soup off the heat. Squeeze in some lemon juice, garnish with fresh dill, and a slice of fresh lemon.
Helpful Tips
- Using fish heads - If you want authentic fish head soup, use 3-4 pounds of fish head and tails for a more robust flavor. You can also follow this detailed recipe for fish stock for all my tips and tricks.
- Use fish fillets to save time - If you're short on time, use 2-3 fish fillets, weighing 6 ounces each. Simmer for 10 minutes, then remove the fillets, peel off the skin, and flake the fish. From there, simply add potatoes and carrots directly to the fish stock and return the flaked fish toward the end to avoid overcooking it.
- Strain the broth - Though not necessary if you use fish fillets, straining the broth is recommended if you use fish heads. Elements in fish heads and tails make the broth unsavory.
- Add cooked fish last - Fish can become rubbery if overcooked. To avoid this, add fish pieces towards the end of the cooking process and simmer gently until just cooked through.
Troubleshooting
- Fish flavor too strong? Long cooking times can intensify the fish flavor. If it's too strong for your liking, you can add watery vegetables like zucchini or an acidic ingredient like lemon or vinegar to balance the flavor.
Product Highlight!
Mineral-Rich Sea Salt
I love using Baja Mineral Sea Salt for lighter soups like this fish head soup.
Serving Suggestions
The best way to serve ukha is with a slice of lemon and chopped dill and green onions. Season with freshly cracked black pepper. If you have an abundance of this fresh herb, make sure you know how to store fresh dill so it lasts a long time. I've also used dried fresh parsley in a pinch, though the flavor is much milder with dried herbs.
You can also pair this fish head soup with crusty bread for a complete and satisfying meal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Transfer leftover fish soup to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. You can also keep it in the pot with a secure lid. Glass snap containers are great for leftovers, but wide-mouth mason jars are convenient for soups due to their airtight seals and easy pouring design. To reheat, warm the fish soup on the stovetop over medium heat, stirring occasionally and avoid boiling vigorously.
I don't recommend freezing this soup because the potatoes will lose their texture and become grainy when thawed. But this soup is so quick and easy to make, that it can be whipped up on a busy weekday.
After cooking, carefully remove the heads and tails from the pot. Pick out the bones with a fork or tongs. The flesh should easily come off the bone and can be added back into the soup.
Even though technically you can make this soup in your pressure cooker, I don't recommend it because of the risk of overboiling the fish stock. Besides, in the time it takes the Instant Pot to come to pressure, you would've already sufficiently cooked the fish in a large pot during that time. It is more efficient to make this fish head soup recipe on stovetop.
Looking for more traditional recipes? Here are some ideas:
Did you make this Fish Soup Recipe? Please leave a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ recipe rating in the recipe card below and leave a review in the comments. Thank you!💚
Printable Recipe
Fish Soup - Simple Ukha Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
Stock Base for Fish Soup
- 2 pounds fish head, tails, or fish fillets see notes
- 4 quarts filtered water
- 1 large yellow onion peeled and halved
- 4 bay leaves
- 1 tablespoon sea salt
Fish Soup
- 5-6 large Yukon gold potatoes
- 3 medium carrots peeled and sliced
- 1 lemon
- 4 sprigs fresh dill or scallions for garnish
Instructions
Base for Fish Head Soup
- In a large stockpot, place well-washed fish heads or tails, add aromatics such as bay leaves, peppercorns, and onions. Season with salt and fill with enough water to barely cover all ingredients.
- Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, then lower heat so that it barely simmers with an occasional bubble. Gently simmer for 20 minutes.
- Using a fine mesh sieve, strain the broth into a medium size stockpot. Separate the fleshy pieces of the fish and discard the carcass.
Base for Quick Fish Soup
- In a medium stockpot, place well-washed fish fillets, add aromatics such as bay leaves, peppercorns, and onions. Season with salt and fill with water about ⅔ full.
- Bring to a gentle simmer over medium heat, then lower the heat so that it barely simmers. Gently simmer until the fish has cooked through (approx. 10 minutes).
- Remove the fish fillets and onion from the pot. When cool enough to handle, peel the skin off the fish fillets and flake with a fork. Discard onions. You can keep the broth in the pot and remove any visible scum with a small sieve.
Fish Soup
- To a medium size pot full of base fish stock, add diced potatoes and sliced carrots and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Then, reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until potatoes are tender (approx. 6 minutes)
- Transfer the cooked salmon meat from the fish head or the fish fillet to the pot and simmer for 2-3 more minutes.
- Take the soup off heat. Squeeze in some lemon juice, garnish with fresh dill and slice of fresh lemon.
Notes
- Using fish heads - If you want authentic fish head soup, use 3-4 pounds of fish head and tails for a more robust flavor. You can also follow this detailed recipe for fish stock for all my tips and tricks.
- Use fish fillets to save time - If you're short on time, use 2-3 fish fillets, weighing 6 ounces each. Simmer for 10 minutes, then remove the fillets, peel off the skin, and flake the fish. From there, simply add potatoes and carrots directly to the fish stock and return the flaked fish.
- Strain the broth - Though not necessary if you use fish fillets, straining the broth is recommended if you use fish heads. Elements in fish heads and tails make the broth unsavory.
- Add cooked fish last - Fish can become rubbery if overcooked. To avoid this, add fish pieces towards the end of the cooking process and simmer gently until just cooked through.
Marla says
Hi Anya,
Sounds like a healthy tasty dish for any fish lover. Thanks for sharing on Real Food Fridays. Pinned & tweeted.
Anya says
It is! I am sure to have at least once a month.