Famous Ukrainian chef Yevhen Klopotenko recently added a dish from the Izmail district to his culinary life hacks, namely borsch with fish and pickled tomatoes, a recipe he found in the town of Vilkovе, Odesa region. Yevhen Klopotenko wrote about it in his blog.
The chef noted that the culture of cooking Ukrainian borsch was included in the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage. While nowadays Ukrainians are more accustomed to cooking borsch with meat broth, a century ago their ancestors often cooked a lean version with only vegetables or fish. Such borscht is common in regions where there are many rivers or those near the seas. Therefore, the fish used for cooking also varies. After traveling all over Ukraine in search of new borsch flavors, Yevhen Klopotenko found a very interesting recipe for borsch with fish in Vylkove.
Ingredients: 2 silver carp steaks, 2 pike steaks, 2 potatoes, 2 bay leaves, 4 allspice peas, 3 yellow tomatoes, 1 white beet, 1 carrot, 1 onion, ¼ small cabbage, 3 pickled tomatoes, 150 ml of pickled tomato brine, 3 tbsp. l. vegetable oil, 5 sprigs of dill, 5 sprigs of parsley, ½ tsp. dried garlic, 2 liters of water, salt, sugar and pepper to taste.
Borscht with fish: step-by-step recipe
Step 1. Peel 1 white beet and 2 potatoes. Cut the beets into thin strips and the potatoes into medium cubes.
Step 2. Pour 2 liters of water into a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Throw in the beets and potatoes, 2 bay leaves and 4 allspice peas, add a pinch of salt and a pinch of sugar. Reduce the heat and cook for 15 minutes.
Step 3. Heat a frying pan and add 2 tbsp of oil. Put 2 steaks of silver carp and 2 steaks of pike, season with a little salt and pepper. Fry until golden brown on both sides, which will take about 10 minutes. When the fish is cooked, add a ladle of beetroot broth to the pan and simmer over low heat for another 5 minutes. Then transfer the fish to a bowl, let it cool and separate the meat from the bones.
Step 4. Peel the carrots, onions and 3 yellow tomatoes, cut the vegetables into small cubes. Fry the carrots and onions for 2-3 minutes in a frying pan with 1 tbsp of oil, add a pinch of salt and pepper and ½ tsp of dried garlic.
Step 5. Add the yellow tomatoes and pour 150 ml of pickled tomato brine, simmer for another 3 minutes.
Step 6. Put the roast and fish meat in the broth to the potatoes and beets.
Step 7. Chop ¼ of a small cabbage and add to the borscht. Crush 3 sun-dried tomatoes directly into the pot. Cook the borscht for another 5 minutes. Taste and add salt and pepper to taste. When serving, add chopped dill and parsley.
