Fish hodgepodge

Fish hodgepodge is a tricky soup that requires a thoughtful approach and the right ingredients. Take broth, for example. It should be strong, rich, so for its preparation we take small fish, which boasts a large number of small bones that provide richness. Of course, she will not go to the hodgepodge: she will be replaced by individuals of noble blood - sterlet or sturgeon. Better both! The taste of the fish will be set off by olives (the larger the better), capers and lemon juice. As for the indispensable component of the fish hodgepodge - pickled cucumbers, it is best to choose good barrel cucumbers, so you should visit the market before preparing the dish!

Ingredients

• For broth:
• onions - 2 pcs.
• carrots - 1 pc.
• large parsley root - 1 pc.
• small fish - 600 g
• drinking water - 2 l
• bay leaf - 1 pc.
• black peppercorns - 4 pcs.
• For hodgepodge:
• sterlet or sturgeon fillet - 400 g
• onions - 2 pcs.
• pickled cucumbers - 2 pcs.
• butter - 30 g
• flour - 1.5 tbsp. l.
• lemon juice - 3 tbsp. l.
• tomato paste - 2 tbsp l.
• black olives - 12 pcs.
• capers - 8 pcs.
• parsley - 2 sprigs
• dill - 2 branches
• lemon for serving - to taste
• salt, ground pepper - to taste

Directions

1. Prepare the fish salt broth. To do this, coarsely chop the onions, carrots and parsley root and fry in a dry pan for 3 minutes. Clean the fish, gut and rinse thoroughly.
2. Place the fish in a saucepan and cover with water. Put on fire and bring to a boil over high heat. Remove the foam, add the sautéed vegetables, bay leaf and peppercorns. Simmer for 15 minutes over low heat.
3. Strain the resulting fish broth into a small, clean saucepan through four-fold cheesecloth. Make sure that even the smallest bones do not fall into it.
4. Cut the fillet of sterlet or sturgeon for hodgepodge into portions. Peel the onion and chop finely. Peel the pickles and cut into strips. If the cucumbers are large, remove the seeds from the fruit.
5. Melt the butter in a skillet and brown the onions in it. Add flour and cook, stirring occasionally, for 2 minutes. Pour in about 100 ml of chilled fish stock. Boil until thick, stirring.
6. Add cucumbers, lemon juice and tomato paste. Simmer over medium heat, without a lid, stirring constantly for 5 minutes. Transfer to a large saucepan for the hodgepodge.
7. Pour in the remaining stock and bring to a boil. Add fish fillets, olives and capers. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cook over low heat, covered with a lid, for 10 minutes.
8. Wash the parsley and dill, dry and chop finely. Leave the fish hodgepodge on a hot stove under a lid for 15 minutes (turn off the heat), then pour into plates. Add greens and a slice of lemon to each.