The Other Rooster Fish Soup: 20 Minutes, Two Cans, and No Rooster

An absurdly simple fish soup my Belarusian friend taught me to make. Chicken broth, canned salmon, green peas and potatoes. That's practically the entire recipe.

Earlier today, I wrote about ukha iz petukha, a rather extraordinary fish soup made with rooster broth.

It's an elaborate dish I learned about from a Bulgarian acquaintance in southern Ukraine. It involves cooking an entire rooster, several kinds of fish, preparing aspic, roasting the bird with vegetables and producing an entire festive table from one large pot of broth.

Wonderful stuff.

But it takes practically a whole day.

And that reminded me of another fish soup.

One that operates on almost exactly the opposite principle.

I learned it from a Belarusian friend many years ago, when we were working together on a long business assignment.

We were staying in serviced apartments, cooking for ourselves, much as I do now when I'm working away from home.

And he taught me a fish soup so simple that I initially wondered whether it could possibly be any good.

It was.

Very good, actually.

And I've cooked it many times since.

The rooster has been reduced to two cubes

Here's the amusing connection with the previous recipe.

Both soups combine poultry and fish flavours.

But where ukha iz petukha requires a real rooster and hours of simmering, this version requires two chicken stock cubes.

That's our poultry department sorted.

We also need potatoes, an onion, a carrot, canned fish and green peas.

No fresh fish.

No fish heads.

No bones wrapped in cheesecloth.

No straining anything through a sieve.

Not even a frying pan.

Just a small saucepan.

Start with the potatoes

Take a saucepan of about three litres and bring roughly two litres of water to the boil.

Peel five small potatoes and cut them into medium-sized cubes or slices.

Add them to the water.

Finely grate one small carrot, or half a larger one.

Chop a shallot or half an ordinary onion.

Add both to the pot.

Then drop in two chicken stock cubes.

They provide the base flavour and much of the seasoning, so there's usually no need to start adding extra salt.

And now?

Nothing.

Leave it to simmer.

The potatoes are the slowest-cooking ingredient in the entire recipe.

Everything else is either finely chopped or already cooked.

After about fifteen minutes, check them.

We want the potatoes cooked through but still holding their shape.

Not hard.

Not falling apart.

Certainly not turning the soup into mashed potato with ambitions.

Depending on their size, this usually takes around fifteen to twenty minutes.

Two cans and we're practically finished

Now comes the clever part.

Open a can of pink salmon in its own juices.

Or regular canned salmon.

Tip the entire contents into the pot.

Fish and liquid.

Don't drain it.

That liquid contains plenty of flavour, and we want it in the soup.

If you like a more substantial fish soup, use two cans instead of one.

Next, open a standard can of green peas.

Again, tip everything in, including the liquid.

Yes, the pea liquid too.

It's part of the flavour of this particular soup, and there's absolutely no reason to complicate the process by throwing it away.

Stir gently.

Bring everything back to a simmer.

And that's almost it.

A little fresh dill or parsley is excellent.

Dried herbs work too.

You can add a small amount of garlic, either dried or half a fresh clove, finely chopped.

Let the soup come together for another minute or two.

Turn off the heat.

Allow it to cool slightly.

Dinner is ready.

The recipe

Ingredients

• Approximately 2 litres of water

• 5 small potatoes

• 1 small carrot, finely grated

• 1 shallot or half an onion, finely chopped

• 2 chicken stock cubes

• 1 can of pink salmon or salmon in its own juices, approximately 200–250 g, or two cans for more fish

• 1 standard can of green peas

• Fresh or dried dill and parsley

• Optional: half a clove of garlic or a little dried garlic

Method

1. Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan.

1. Add the peeled and chopped potatoes, grated carrot and finely chopped onion.

1. Add the chicken stock cubes and simmer until the potatoes are just cooked through.

1. Add the canned salmon together with its liquid.

1. Add the green peas together with their liquid.

1. Bring back to a gentle simmer.

1. Add herbs and optional garlic.

1. Turn off the heat, let it rest briefly and serve.

Preparation and cooking: About 20–25 minutes, depending on how quickly the water boils and the potatoes cook.

One small practical note: canned fish, peas and stock cubes can all contain salt. Taste the soup before adding any more.

Why is it so good?

I think the secret is that this is essentially a very simple vegetable soup that suddenly acquires a surprisingly rich fish flavour.

The chicken stock provides a savoury foundation.

The canned salmon adds both flavour and substance.

The potatoes make it satisfying.

The green peas contribute sweetness and a pleasant contrast in texture.

And the herbs make everything taste fresh.

It's not a sophisticated restaurant dish.

It isn't trying to be.

It's just a genuinely tasty, light, comforting fish soup that requires almost no effort.

And because practically all the ingredients keep well in a cupboard or refrigerator, it's perfect for the kind of temporary kitchen where you don't particularly want to maintain an enormous supply of fresh produce.

Which makes it especially relevant to my current life in hotel apartments.

Funny how things come around.

Two friends, two soups, two completely different philosophies

I learned one fish soup from a Bulgarian acquaintance.

Another from a Belarusian friend.

Both during periods of working away from home.

Both involving poultry and fish, although in very different proportions.

The first is an entire culinary ceremony.

The second is almost an act of rebellion against cooking.

One requires a rooster, several fish, an oven, a large pot and most of your day.

The other requires a small saucepan, a couple of cans and roughly twenty minutes.

I like both.

And I wouldn't say one is better than the other.

They're simply meant for completely different occasions.

Sometimes cooking is an elaborate process worth spending the entire day enjoying.

And sometimes you're hungry, you've been working, and you'd quite like a good bowl of soup without organising a small culinary festival.

Fortunately, a rooster can occasionally be replaced by two stock cubes.

Just don't tell the rooster.