Hungarian Fisherman's Fish Soup - "Szeged style"
Variants of fish soup in Hungary
In Hungary, the collective term “fish soup of the Tisza region” can refer to cities Szeged, Szolnok or the so-called Tisza wine varieties. The recipes of the Tisza region are more complicated than those of Baja: while in the latter the fish are not strained but simply stewed with onions and the soup is made exclusively from carp, in the Tisza region a broth is first made from several types of fish, onions, paprika and fish offal, then it is strained or passed and the previously cut fish steaks are cooked in it. Now, we’re going to share the recipe related to Tisza, Szeged.
Ingredients:
- 3,3 lbs (1,5 kg) carp (head, tail, skeleton)
- a total of 3,3 lbs (1,5 kg) catfish head and skeleton, with pike meat
- 2,2 lbs (1 kg) catfish and carp fillet
- 1 lb (500 g) old brown onion
- 3-4 tbsp Hungarian sweet paprika powder (good quality)
- 2 large tomatoes
- 2 Hungarian yellow wax peppers
- salt
Steps:
- Place the carp, catfish and pike pieces in a large pot. Add the sliced onions, chopped tomatoes and peppers. Pour in water: it should cover the ingredients by an inch. Simmer over medium heat for 1 hour.
- In the meantime, sprinkle the fish fillets with salt and paprika powder and set aside.
- After the broth has cooked for an hour, remove the larger bones and start pressing or straining the soup. Use a food mill or a pasta strainer. Try to push through much fish meat out as possible.
- Bring the strained stock back to the boil, add 4 tablespoons of good quality paprika powder and simmer for 2-3 minutes.
- Add fish fillets, salt to taste and cook ower low heat for 20 minutes.
- Serve the fish soup with fillets, fresh bread and chili to taste. Enjoy your meal!
Watch our video about this fish soup recipe: