(Уха – Uha – oo ha)

This has always been one of those hard to explain foods when it came to getting my American friends to try it, but it has been a hit every time.

Traditionally, the stock for Uha is cooked low and slow over the course of a few hours using fish heads, bones and tails. However, this is definitely the way to make sure your entire house smells like you’ve been working outside at the fish docks all day, in the middle of the Southern heat. Not cute. So in order to avoid any smells of the ocean filling your home, we cook the fish towards the end. Whilst the stock isn’t a rich fish stock, it still gets a good bit of that seafood flavor in it, but without having to air the house out afterwards.

There was a running joke growing up in a building in NYC, that you were able to tell if you had other Russians living on the same floor when you could smell the fish broth disseminating throughout the hallways.

INGREDIENTS :

• 2 Salmon steaks (or 1 steak and 1LB shrimp ; peeled and deveined)
• 1 large carrot, grated
• 2 large russet potatoes, peeled and sliced
• 2-3 TB dill, chopped
• 4-6 allspice berries
• 3-4 bay leaves
• 4 scallion stalks , chopped (more if preferred)
• 1 TB butter
• 1 TB sour cream (optional)

STEPS :

1. Fill a pot 3/4 of the way full, salt well and bring to a boil. Choose a pot size to your liking, but also so that it fits all the ingredients. I typically go with medium to large pots for soups.
2. Once water is boiling, add in your grated carrots and allow them to cook for 3-5 minutes. You should also toss in your allspice berries and bay leaves at this time.
3. While the carrots are cooking, cut your salmon into cubes roughly 1″ thickness. Set the salmon cubes aside for now.
4. Add the potatoes to your boiling water and cook for 5-7 minutes, until potatoes are almost fully cooked through. You can check on their doneness level by lifting some out of the water and poking them with a knife. If they are rubbery or hard, cook longer. Once they begin breaking when being poked, you’ll know they’re nearing being fully cooked.
5. Once your potatoes are nearly done, add the salmon cubes to your pot (and shrimp, if you’d like) and cook for an additional 5 minutes.
6. Once your seafood is cooked, add in your chopped fresh herbs and a tablespoon of butter. Turn off heat and cover your pot with a lid and let everything sit for 10-15 minutes. Then mix it all up.
7. Add a dollop of sour cream on top, if desired.. and trust me, it should be desired.

WHY THE BUTTER?

My mom always taught me that the way to add an extra little oomph to “light” soups, is by adding that little bit of buttery goodness at the very end and letting it incorporate itself into the soup base. Butter is full of vitamins (Vitamins A, D, E and K2) along with calcium, CLA (conjugated linoleic acid – which can help with metabolism, lowering body fat, and has anti-cancer properties),butyrate (can improve gut function), anti-oxidants and anti-stiffness factors that can help prevent joint calcification, cataracts and hardening of the arteries.

Basically, butter is not only delicious, it’s also GOOD for you.