Burbot soup

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It’s almost February again! And that means it’s burbot season! 🙂 In January and February I’m preparing a lot of fish soup – mainly because of burbot. This cod-like freshwater fish is very mild in flavor and well suited for different kinds of fish soups and stews. Making fillets doesn’t really work with burbot and that’s why I boil the whole fish with the bones and separate them later.

I buy my burbots whole and skin them by making a little cut around the neck and then pulling away the skin while holding on to the head. I love fish roe and that’s why I’m always choosing the fishes with the roundest bellies. Last year I found 275 grams of fish roe in one fish, this year I haven’t been that lucky yet, just a more normal amount of around 100 grams per fish. The roe is not the only great specialty of this fish, the liver is large, very tasty and has a silk-like consistency. I’m using the liver at the same time with the meat,  just the fish roe has to be frozen for a couple of days before using it.

This is my version of the traditional Finnish burbot soup. Easy to prepare and tasty for sure!

The soup can be served either as a starter or as a main dish.