White ear

If you cook fish soup in a pot over a fire, you can follow two Russian traditions. The first is to pour 50 ml of vodka into the ear a couple of minutes before readiness. Vodka, according to the chefs, "raises" (that is, makes it brighter and more expressive) the taste of the fish soup. And the second is to put a firebrand into the broth being prepared. This will give your ear a slight smoky flavor.

Ingredients

• 1 large onion
• 2 medium potatoes
• 1 medium carrot
• 200 g pike perch fillet on skin without bones
• 200 g pike fillet on skin, boneless
• 1 liter fish broth
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 bunch of mixed herbs (dill, parsley)
• salt, freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Peel and chop the onion thinly. Peel and cut the potatoes and carrots into medium cubes.
2. For pike perch and pike, remove scales from the skin, cut the fish into portions.
3. Put onions, carrots, potatoes, bay leaves, pike and pike perch fillets in boiling fish broth. Cook over medium heat until tender, skimming off the foam. Add spices and chopped herbs, serve hot soup.