Fisherman’s Carp Soup with Fish Strudel – (Pontyhalászlé halas rétessel)

Ingredients serves 5: 1 carp, about 3.3 lb/1.5 kg, 1 tablespoon quality paprika, 1 teaspoon hot Red Gold or “Strong Steven” hot cherry pepper paste, 1 teaspoon mild Red Gold or Sweet Ann, salt, 1 potato, 4 medium onions, 4 tablespoon cooking oil, 1 each pepper and tomato, 4 eggs, 1 package strudel or baklava dough (may found in the frozen foods section of your supermarket), 2 tablespoon breadcrumbs

Clean the carp, if it has roe or milt remove these and set aside. Cut off the head, clean it and remove its venom-tooth. Filet it and place it skin-side down on a cutting board. Starting from the narrow end cut between the filleted meat and skin. Hold the end of the skin with one hand and pushing the knife down slightly cut along toward the thicker part with the other hand. You’ve done well if the skin comes off in one piece. However, it is quite all right to keep the skin on the fish. Score the filets deeply about 1/16”-1/8” apart. Rub the two different paprika creams and 1 teaspoon salt thoroughly into it. Place it in the refrigerator, covered, for an hour. Clean the onions and potato. Slice 3 onions into thin circles, dice the potatoes and place them in a pot filled with 2 quarts/liters water. Place the fish bones and cleaned head into it with 1 level tablespoon salt and bring to boil. Cover, leaving a little opening, and simmer about 1.5 hours. As an option, add 1 cup parsley and/or 1 each tomato and pepper along with its stem. Remove from heat, strain, and mash the onions and potato through a sieve into the strained liquid. Take any fish meat off the bones and the head and press through the sieve as well. Bring the resultant thick fish soup stock to a boil and put the seasoned carp filets into it. Cook 8 minutes, then remove them carefully and allow to cool. Remove any large fish bones and grind up the fish-meat (with the skin, if it stayed on). Mince the remaining onion (or you may use 1 tablespoon onion cream at this stage) and wilt on 3 tablespoon oil. Pour in the pepper and onion, chopped fine, and sauté 2-3 minutes. Add the fish and brown an additional 2 minutes. Beat the eggs, add 1/4 teaspoon salt and pour over the fish and vegetables, stirring 2-3 minutes until the eggs start to jell. Spread the strudel dough on a wet dishtowel such that you have spread each layer with a bit of oil and breadcrumbs before adding the next sheet of dough. Distribute the filling evenly over the entire strudel sheet

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and roll up. Place on an oiled baking sheet and brush a bit of oil over the top. Bake in a preheated oven at 380°F/190°C (340°F/170°C convection oven) for 20 minutes. Right before serving, heat up the fish broth, and if necessary, add salt. Ladle into bowls and only add the hot sliced strudel at the last minute – always just one slice, lest it become too soggy.

Anyone finding cleaning and skinning the fish daunting, purchase about 1 1/2 lb/70 dkg skinned filleted carp instead for the strudel and about 2 lbs/1 kg combined cleaned fish bones and head.

Preparation time: 1 hour + 2 hours cooking Calories per serving: 553 Skill: not easy to prepare

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