Tsar's fish soup with black caviar
12 servings
120 minutes
Tsar's fish soup with black caviar is a dish worthy of royal feasts, reflecting the richness of Russian cuisine. This exquisite soup is made from aromatic fish broth with sturgeon species that give it depth and richness of flavor. The black caviar added at the end fills the soup with tenderness and a noble touch, while the smoldering coal adds a light smoky aroma. Vodka at the end of cooking makes the broth clearer and enhances its taste. Traditionally, the soup is served hot with rasstegai and enjoyed with a shot of cold vodka, making the meal especially festive. This dish symbolizes Russian hospitality and traditions, combining the wealth of nature and centuries-old culinary secrets.
1
Gut the pike and small fish, remove the gills, and rinse (do not remove the scales). Cut the pike into 3-4 pieces. Fillet the sturgeon fish, removing the skin, cartilage, and bones. Cut the fillet into pieces of 5-6 cm.
- Pike: 1 kg
- Sturgeon fillet: 500 g
- Beluga fillet: 500 g
2
Clean and wash the onion, pearl onion (small, seed), carrot, and parsley root. Soak the cheesecloth well, fold it into two layers in a 50x50 cm square. Place the pike and small fish — perch, ruffe, roach, crucians — in the center. Add the vegetables and roots (except for the pearl onion), a bunch of parsley, bay leaf, and black peppercorns (slightly crush the pepper beforehand). Tie the ends of the cheesecloth crosswise in a tight knot to avoid gaps.
- Onion: 3 heads
- Pearl onion: 500 g
- Carrot: 4 pieces
- Parsley root: 4 pieces
- Parsley: 1 bunch
- Bay leaf: 6 pieces
- Black peppercorns: 50 g
- River ruff: 500 g
- Crucian carp: 500 g
- River perch: 500 g
3
Place the bag in a 10-liter pot with the knot facing up, pour in 8 liters of water, and place it over the fire without covering it. After boiling, remove the foam and add salt to taste. Cook for about 40-45 minutes. Remove the pot from the fire. Take out the bag and let its contents drain into the pot. To extract maximum broth, you can press the bag (with a stone) for 5 minutes and pour any remaining broth back into the pot. Discard the squeezed bag.
- Water: 8 l
- Salt: to taste
4
Place a double layer of well-washed cheesecloth in a sieve or colander and strain the broth. Pour the strained broth back into the pot and place it over the fire without covering it. Once it boils, add the prepared pearl onions (sets) and cook for 6-7 minutes. Then, immediately add all the sturgeon fish fillets and cook for no more than 5-6 minutes from the moment it boils. During the cooking of the fish, add salt if necessary, as the fish will absorb some salt from the broth.
- Pearl onion: 500 g
- Sturgeon fillet: 500 g
- Beluga fillet: 500 g
- Sterlet: 500 g
- Salt: to taste
5
Remove the pot from the fire and immediately dip a large glowing coal into the fish soup for 3-4 seconds, then take out the coal and remove small charcoal pieces from the surface of the soup with a slotted spoon or sieve. Pour in vodka and stir. Cover the pot with a lid.
- Aniseed vodka: 150 ml
6
Crush black sturgeon caviar (you can use black caviar or even cheaper black caviar) in a mortar, adding some broth from the fish soup. Pour the caviar mixture into the soup and stir. Cover and let it steep for 10-15 minutes.
- Black caviar: 150 g
7
Pour the hot fish soup into plates. The royal fish soup is served with pies filled with sturgeon caviar and pike perch, or with fillings of pike, cod, and burbot. It is eaten with a shot of cold vodka.