All kinds of sturgeons in Vylkove are called “Krasnyak” (all those red). There are two versions of this name’s origin. According to the first version “red” means the best, as well as in the expressions: “red-streak”, “red-carpet treatment”. The second option has a mercantile basis: formerly people paid chervontsi and gold coins for sturgeon, hence the expression went “not worse a red cent”, “be out of the red”, “redwood”. On the lower Danube there are several methods of cooking “krasnyak” fish soup: fish soup exclusively made of “krasnyak”, fish soup made of “krasnyak” with addition of valuable fish species, white fish soup without adding tomatoes (in order not to slacken the taste of salmon by tomatoes) and fish soup with adding tomatoes. Vylkove fishermen stated that “krasnyak” fish soup will be better if it is staffed with meat of such valuable fish species like common carp and perch.
The Royal fish soup a la Lipovan
The Royal fish soup is made of “krasnyak” laced with common carp and catfish; the fish soup is staffed with “krasnyak” meat, common carp and catfish without heads.
White fish soup “krasnyak” a la Vylkove
The Royal fish soup is made of “krasnyak” laced with common carp and catfish; the fish soup is staffed with “krasnyak” meat, common carp and catfish without heads.
Vylkove fish soup “krasnyak” laced with valuable fish species meat
The Royal fish soup is made of “krasnyak” with the addition of valuable fish species meat
Lipovan crucian carp fish soup
The crucian carp fish soup is the sweetest and the lightest fish soup. It is said that one can drink and sing while eating this fish soup.
The “bandit” fish soup
In different regions this fish soup is prepared according to the same technology, as described below, but it is called in different ways: the bishop’s, the lordly, the party elite fish soup. The name indicates a high-class dish. And only in Vylkove such fish soup is called the bandit fish soup. There are several versions of this name’s origin, one of which comes from the religious rites. It is forbidden to kill warm-blooded animals during the Lent, if someone is violating a ban, it is said that “He is banditing”. And due to the fact that the fish soup is cooked with a feathered game, which is forbidden to kill, they say that it is the bandit fish soup, in other words for its cooking a person used to banditing.
Borsch “on Storchak”
In different regions this fish soup is prepared according to the same technology, as described below, but it is called in different ways: the bishop’s, the lordly, the party elite fish soup. The name indicates a high-class dish.
A common carp soup with grout a la Lipovan
A common carp soup a la Lipovan laced with grout
Dietary perch soup with grout a la Vylkove
Dietary perch soup a la Vylkove laced with grout
Eel pilaf a la Vylkove
You will be astonished by amazing taste of the delicious eel pilaf a la Vylkove
Roast salmon giblets a la Lipovan
Roast salmon giblets a la Lipovan
Crucian carp with potatoes a la Lipovan
Crucian carp with potatoes a la Lipovan
Perch, baked in sour cream a la Vylkove
Perch, baked in sour cream a la Vylkove
Boiled junk a la Lipovan
Boiled junk a la Lipovan
Danube herring (dunayka) boiled in salamuri
Danube herring (dunayka) boiled in salamuri
Dunayka hodgepodge
Delicious dunayka hodgepodge
Dunayka stewed giblets
Dunayka stewed giblets
The meaning of “chastik” (ordinary fish) includes almost all types of freshwater fish, excepting salmon (sturgeons and salmons).
Eel is also not included with ordinary fish species. There are small-sized and large-sized types of ordinary fish. Remember the words from the movie “Chapaev” that became aphorism for several generations: “Mitka-brother dies and begs a fish soup.” These words are comic and tragic but they contain philosophical sense, because the fish soup is brought to the level of a sacred dish. Since Mitka asked
a fish soup before death, it was a symbol of an earthly bliss for him. It was an ordinary fish soup he wanted – ordinary popular soup made from the catch. Ordinary fish (chastik) soup may be considered a classic fish soup; everyone has tried such soup at least once in life.
Ingredients:
Fish (carp, pike perch, young bream, pike, perch,
Danube herring – in spring) ………… 2 kg
Potatoes ………………………….0,3 kg
or 0.5 kg, if you plan to eat fish soup with potatoes, without bread
Onion……………………………..0,3 kg
Carrot …………………………….0,3 kg
Tomatoes ……………………… ….0,1 kg
may be substituted with tomato juice
Sweet pepper ……………… …….0.1 kg
Parsley, dill, salt, pepper, garlic
Cooking:
1. Pour water into the pan quantitatively 1: 1 (by the amount of fish), and turn on the oven.
2. Add peeled onion, carrot, potato. If potato is large slice it.
Boil vegetables without salt!
3. Put tomatoes in boiling water and cook. Then get them out, puree and put aside.
4. Peel garlic, chop sweet pepper and set aside.
6. Scale fish (don’t clean!), wash well and put it into the bowl.
7. After scaling and washing clean fish carefully and accurately on a cutting board because you won’t wash it any more. If the fish bears roe, put
roe into a separate bowl – you can cook “Caviar a la Vylkove”.
8. Cut in pieces cleaned fish. If the fish is small-sized leave it whole. It is desirable to crimp bony fish (to make frequent cuts along the back and tail). Do not wash fish!
9. Cook vegetables in fresh water while cleaning the fish. Potato is an indicator of readiness. Check potato, it should be slightly undercooked.
10. Add salt to a fish soup! It shouldn’t be too salty, but lightly salted, for example as a common soup. Tastiness is brought by salamuri during
meals.
11. Flavor soup with tomato paste. If there are no tomatoes, flavor it with tomato juice.
12. Lay the fish into pan. First layer includes such solid sorts of fish such as carp, bream, young bream, pike. Next layer comprises soft sorts of fish: pike perch, perch, herring. The fish should be covered with claret, but it shouldn’t swim in it (if necessary top up hot boiled water).
13. Cook for 12-20 minutes, avoiding rolling boil. Cooking time depends on sizes of fish pieces: the smaller they are the lower boiling time is. Fishermen determine fish readiness by two visual features: the first one is disappearance of foam while boiling; the second – “Until the eyes are popped out”.
14. When the fish is ready, remove pan from the heat and “let it draw for 5 minutes”.
15. While fish is “resting” make a garlic seasoning sauce (see. Recipe: Garlic seasoning salamuri, p. 73).
16. Take the fish out of pan. You should put it whole in order not to fall to pieces, and place on a common dish in one layer. It is not acceptable to put boiled fish on top of each other: firstly, it loses its appetizing look, and secondly, it is not comfortable for serving yourself.
17. Take out vegetables and put on a separate plate.
18. “Dress up” a fish soup. They say in Vylkove, “You should not only to cook the fish, but also to dress it up”. When fish and vegetables are taken out of soup add chopped pepper, parsley and dill to claret. Thus we achieve “purity” of fish and vegetables and avoid sticking of green, moreover, green will not intervene the taste of the fish and will convey its tastiness. For those who like bitter claret, please season with pepper.
Let it draw for 5 minutes.
19. Pour claret in mugs.
Soup dressed with green acquires not only better taste, but also very attractive look: parsley, sweet pepper, golden circles of fish oil delight the eye
and increase appetite.
