Ukha (Russian Fish Soup) for #FoodnFlix

Our movie this month for Food n Flix was "I am Love" chosen by my friend Evelyne of CulturEatz. You can see Evelyne's invitation post here.  Any blogger is welcome to join us in this group.

This very tragic, sad and depressing movie is set in Italy.  I watched it with English subtitles.  It is the story of the life of a very rich family whose patriarch passes away starting a landslide of tragedy, betrayal, hidden secrets and despair.  The moral of this story:  Money cannot buy happiness nor can looking for love in all the wrong places.

I wasn't crazy about the movie.  It is difficult for me to concentrate on a movie with subtitles because I feel like I am busy reading instead of watching the actors faces, mannerisms and subtleties.  I don't know that I would have liked the movie any better in English.  The movie didn't make me laugh or smile even once and I feel like there is enough sadness in the world without watching fictional sadness.

What the movie did have going for it is food.  The movie started with a feast and continued with feasts until the very end.  The first feast in the movie featured a Russian Fish Soup called Ukha, that had special meaning between the mother (who came from Russia originally) and her eldest son.  The last feast also featured this soup which resulted in the son realizing his mother's secrets.  This resulted in a tragic dispute and ended the movie on a very sad note.

The soup is very easy to prepare.  The recipes that I found all varied as to the type of fish used.  The mother, Emma, when describing the soup to her lover, said that it contained many different fish and a very clear broth.  I created my own recipe, taking bits and pieces from those I found on line, to share with you today.

My week got all topsy turvy again.  We were supposed to have this soup for dinner tonight but then we decided to take advantage of the weather and head up north to see Spencer for his birthday.  I needed to make the soup as I had defrosted the fish and couldn't refreeze it but we had dinner plans to take Frank's sister out for her birthday last night.  I made the soup and, knowing that we wouldn't have an opportunity to eat it before Sunday, decided to take it to my brother's house for them to enjoy. My brother sent me this photo with the comment "mmmm nummy keeper".  I think he liked it.

Ukha (Russian Fish Soup)

1 T. olive oil
1 leek, white and light green, washed and thinly slice into half moons
2 carrots, scraped and sliced
1 celery stalk, diced
2 yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into small dice
1 qt. fish stock
1 1/2 lbs. assorted fish (I used salmon and cod) skinned and cut into cubes
2 T. fresh parsley, chopped
2 T. fresh dill, chopped
juice from half a lemon

Place the olive oil in a dutch oven or soup pot and place over med high heat.  Add the leek, carrots, celery and potatoes.  Season to taste with salt and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until the leeks are tender, 2 or 3 minutes.  Add the fish stock, bring just to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and cook until vegetables are for tender, 15-20 minutes.  Add the fish, parsley and dill.  Cook until the fish is poached, about 5-10 minutes.  Stir in lemon juice, taste and season with more salt and pepper, if needed.  Print Recipe