Fish Soup (Ukha) from Carp Head
Healthy and tasty, light and simple - for lunch or dinner! Ukha made from carp is always incredibly aromatic. You can adjust how thick it is and add other vegetables. It’s a budget soup, especially if you use the rest of the carp for another dish. Rich, light, and satisfying!
Updated : 17 December, 2025
Easy
About 30 min.
Ingredients
2.5 liter
Water
70 grams
Millet
1
Karpiai
3
Potato
2
Celery stalk
1
Carrot
1
Onion
2
Laurel leaf
3
Allspice
1 tablespoon
Salt
Table
Table of volume measurements:
- teaspoon - 5 ml
- dessert spoon - 10 ml
- tablespoon - 20 ml
- glass - 200 ml
Preparation
Step 1
How to cook fish soup (ukha) from a carp head? First, prepare the ingredients. If you also have a couple of body steaks or the tail, you can add them too - the soup will be richer and tastier. Rinse the carp head well and remove the gills. Rinse again. Make sure no blood clots remain, or they will turn the broth an unattractive brown.
Step 2
Cut the celery stalks into not-too-long batons so they fit in the pot. No need to strip off the leaves.
Step 3
Put the carp head, celery, a whole onion, bay leaves, allspice peppercorns, and salt into a pot. Pour in cold water and set over low heat. Bring to a boil. Simmer gently for 20-30 minutes, skimming off foam. The head should cook well and release its flavor into the broth.
Step 4
While the broth cooks, rinse the millet until the water runs clear, then pat it dry.
Step 5
Peel the potatoes and cut into medium cubes.
Step 6
Peel the carrot and grate it on a coarse grater.
Step 7
From the finished broth, remove the softened onion, celery, peppercorns, and bay leaves - they’re no longer needed. Remove the carp head too, but don’t discard it. Strain the broth through a sieve or cheesecloth into a clean pot. Put the pot back over medium heat and bring to a boil again.
Step 8
Add the carrot, millet, and potatoes to the boiling broth. Cook at a gentle simmer, stirring, for about 20 minutes, until the potatoes and millet are tender.
Step 9
While the potatoes cook, pick all the meat from the carp head. If you also cooked tail or fish pieces, remove the meat from the bones as well.
Step 10
When the vegetables and millet are ready, add the fish meat. Salt to taste if needed. Cover and let the soup stand for 10-15 minutes.
Step 11
The carp ukha is ready! Ladle into bowls and, if you like, sprinkle with chopped herbs. Enjoy!
Author note
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 from Carp Head)