Fish Soup from Mackerel Heads

The heads in this soup are boiled twice, and both times briefly. First fifteen minutes for the stock, then they are taken out and the stock is strained through a sieve — and the heads go back into the pot only at the very end, when the soup is already done. The point is that a head gives up its richness quickly, while it falls apart and clouds the stock slowly.

Straining here isn't about looks. Scales and small bone fragments always get into the stock from the heads, and the sieve is the only place where they can still be removed: after the potatoes and the rice go in it is no longer possible.

Soup from heads is a saving, not a compromise. The head of a large fish gives a richer stock than a fillet of the same weight, because it is the cartilage and the bones that make the stock, not the meat.

Taking the fish out of the stock and returning it at the end is the same move made with the whole fish in soup from fresh-frozen mackerel. A soup where the fish is never cooked at all, because it comes out of a tin already done, is soup with canned sprats and millet.

Caloric content: 58kcal

Notes

• The gills are removed before the stove. They are the only part of the head that gives bitterness, and it doesn't boil away — such a stock can't be fixed by adding water.
• Skim the foam with a slotted spoon. The first minutes of boiling decide whether the stock will be clear or gray.
• Rinse the rice until the water runs clear. Starch from unrinsed grain makes the soup cloudy and as thick as jelly.
• Cut the potatoes coarsely. Small pieces boil down into purée in twenty minutes along with the rice.
• Khmeli-suneli goes into the stock, not into the bowl. The mix has to be cooked through, otherwise it tastes of grass.
• Once the heads are back, the soup isn't boiled for long. Bring it to a boil, turn it off and let it stand.

Questions and Answers

Why take the heads out and then put them back?

A head gives up its richness quickly, but falls apart and clouds the stock slowly. Fifteen minutes for the stock — and back into the pot only at the very end, when the soup is already done.

Why must the stock be strained?

Scales and small bone fragments always get into it from the heads. The sieve is the only place where they can still be removed: after the potatoes and the rice go in it is no longer possible.

What should be done with the gills?

Take them out before the stove. They are the only part of the head that gives bitterness, and it doesn't boil away — such a stock can't be fixed by adding water.

Is soup from heads worse than soup from fillet?

No, it is the cartilage and the bones that make the stock, not the meat. The head of a large fish gives a richer stock than a fillet of the same weight.

Recipe and step-by-step photos — kolizhanka.net.ua.