Don Solyanka
4 servings
30 minutes
Don solyanka is a refined dish of Russian cuisine that combines rich fish broth, tender sturgeon, and tangy pickles with capers. Originating on the banks of the Don River, it absorbs the rich flavors of Cossack traditions, creating a thick, aromatic soup with a slight acidity from tomato puree and lemon. Butter and sautéed vegetables add softness and depth to the solyanka, while olives and capers contribute a noble tartness. This dish not only warms in cold weather but also symbolizes friendly gatherings, perfectly complementing festive tables. It is served hot with fragrant herbs and fresh bread, creating an unforgettable gastronomic delight.
1
Cut the heads of sturgeon fish into several large pieces, rinse well, and boil in slightly salted water for an hour. Then remove the head from the pot, cool it, and separate the flesh from the cartilage, removing the bony plates. Set the flesh aside in a separate bowl — it will be needed later. Place the cartilage back in the broth and cook until ready.
- Sturgeon head and cartilage: 100 g
- Salt: to taste
2
Wash the sturgeon, clean it, separate the fillet from the skin and bones, and cut it into large pieces. Then boil the fish until cooked in a separate pot. Remove the fish from the broth (do not discard the broth!), cool it down, and set it aside for a while.
- Sturgeon: 100 g
3
Wash, dry, and julienne the parsley root, onion, and carrot. Melt butter in a pan and sauté the roots and onion until soft.
- Parsley root: 15 g
- Carrot: 20 g
- Onion: 40 g
- Butter: 10 g
4
Peel the pickles, cut them lengthwise, remove the seeds, and slice them into strips.
- Pickled cucumbers: 30 g
5
Combine the fish broth and the broth in which you boiled the fish head, bring to a boil. Add the sautéed vegetables, cucumbers, capers, and spices to the boiling broth, salt if necessary, and cook for 5-10 minutes.
- Capers: 10 g
- Bay leaf: to taste
- Salt: to taste
- Ground black pepper: to taste
6
Then add fish, fish flesh, tomato puree, pitted olives and olives, a slice of lemon, and sliced tomatoes to the pot and cook for another 5-10 minutes.
- Sturgeon: 100 g
- Sturgeon head and cartilage: 100 g
- Tomato puree: 25 g
- Green olives: 10 g
- Black olives: 20 g
- Lemon: 1 piece
- Tomatoes: 40 g