Fisherman's Soup

A hot and spicy paprika based river fish soup, known as Fisherman's Soup - Halászlé (IPA: /ˈhɒlaːsleː/) (in Hungarian halászlé, Bosnian, Serbian and Croatian: riblja čorba, riblji paprikaš; _bg. "рибена чорба", ribena chorba; _mk. "рибина чорба", ribina čorba). The meal originates from the Hungarian cuisine, a bright red hot soup prepared with carp or mixed river fish, characteristic for the cuisines of the Pannonian Plain, particularly prepared in the Danube river region.

The dish is a famous soup, it is a perennial favorite with tourists and locals alike. The secret of good Fisherman's Soup [Gundel´s Hungarian Cookbook, Karoly Gundel, page22] is in the Court Bouillon. To prepare the soup base, fish trimmings are used, fresh carp heads, bones, skin and fins. These are boiled with water, salt and vegetables (onions, green peppers, tomatoes) for two hours. When ready, the Court Bouillon is strained. Hot ground paprika and two finger-thick carp fillets, the roe and coral is added, ten minutes before serving, to the boiling soup. Smooth white wine goes best with Fisherman's soup. Fisherman's Soup variations [cite book |first=Karoly |last=Gundel |title=Gundel's Hungarian cookbook |publisher=Corvina |location=Budapest |year=1992 |pages= |isbn=963-13-3600-X |oclc=32227400page 23]
* "Fisherman's Soup a la Szeged". Four different kinds of fish are used. The usual ratio is 1.5 pound (800 g) carp, 1 pound (500g) catfish, 0.5 pound (350g) sturgeon and 0.5 pound (350g) pike or perch.
* "Hell's Pub style Fisherman's Soup" [ Pokol Csárda módra] or "Drinker's Fisherman Soup". Bay leaf is added and flour, sour cream and a small amount of lemon juice is mixed into the hot soup. Garnished with lemon rings.

* "Fisherman's Soup a la Paks". Home made thin soup pasta called csipetke is added.

Traditionally, the soup is prepared in small kettles on open fire on the river banks by fishermen. Fisherman's soup in kettle is prepared with fresh fish on the place. First, chopped onion is fried in the kettle with some oil and water until it is caramelized. Then, ground "paprika" is added and the kettle is filled with water. When the water comes to a boil, other spices (such as black pepper, white wine, tomato juice) are added, and finally the fish, chopped into large pieces. Entire fish, including heads and tails, are often added to the soup. The soup is usually prepared with mixed fish, the most common species are common carp, catfish, perch and pike. Depending on the amount of added hot paprika the soup is mildly to very hot. (The Hungarian soup is always very hot and spicy.)

The soup is poured directly from the kettle into the plates and eaten with bread (the spicier the soup, the more bread is required).

Many people, especially fishermen, regard the preparation of fish soup somewhat of a cult. Although the recipe is basically simple, the "right" ratio of spices, onion, fish (its quality and variety) and water, as well as timing, affect the soup taste significantly. Many dedicated fishermen regarded their recipe as a highly-kept secret.

Competitions in preparing the soup are popular and are usually held at fairs or picnics along river coast. Visitors are offered to taste the soup for money or for free; the quality is determined by public or committee and (un)success of competitors is often subject of mutual teasing. The soup is best consumed with Riesling wines.

Some like it diluted with soda water. This combination is referred to as "fröccs" in Hungarian, "špricer" in Serbian and Croatian from the German word "spritz", which imitates the sound effect made by soda water as it fizzes out of the dispenser).

References

External links

* [http://www.soupsong.com/rhalaszl.html Hungarian Halászlé]
* [http://hu.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fr%C3%B6ccs Hungarian Fröccs]
* [http://www.netcooks.com/recipes/Seafood/Fish.Soup.html recipe]
* [http://www2.serbiancafe.com/kuvar/8/855 recipe and picture] "(in Serbian by SerbianCafe.com)"
* http://www.maturskiradovi.net "(in Serbian Maturskiradovi.net)"
* [http://www.blogigo.cn/maturski_diplomski_maturski Site serbio]
* [http://www.blogigo.co.uk/com/tags/maturski Site serbio]
* [http://www.blogigo.co.uk/maturski/userinfo/daliboooor48 Site serbio]