Carp soup with root vegetables and croutons

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1. Prepare the fish

   Cut the gills out of the carp head, as they would make the soup bitter. Rinse the head, tail, and fins thoroughly under cold water.

2. Make the broth

   Place the fish in a pot, pour in 2 l cold water, and add the halved onion, bay leaves, allspice, black peppercorns, and salt. Bring to a boil, skim off the foam, then cover and simmer gently for 40 minutes. Keep the broth at a gentle simmer so it stays clear.

3. Strain the broth and pick the meat

   Strain the broth through a fine-mesh strainer into a clean pot. Once the carp pieces have cooled slightly, pick the meat from the head and tail, carefully removing every bone. Discard the onion and spices.

4. Cook the vegetables

   Peel the carrots, parsley root, and celery root and cut them into small dice. Add them to the strained broth along with the thyme and cook for 15 minutes, until the vegetables are tender. If using milt or roe, add it for the last 5 minutes.

5. Make the roux

   Melt the butter in a small saucepan, stir in the flour, and cook, stirring constantly, for 2–3 minutes, until light golden. Add a ladleful of broth to the roux and whisk until smooth.

6. Thicken the soup

   Pour the roux into the soup, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil, then simmer gently for 10 minutes to cook the flour through. Add the picked carp meat, season the soup with salt, and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

7. Make the croutons and serve

   Cut the bread rolls into cubes and toast them in a dry skillet until golden. Serve the soup hot, letting everyone add croutons to their bowls at the table so they do not get soggy.

Tip: You can prepare the broth and pick the meat a day ahead, then refrigerate them separately. On Christmas Eve, all that remains is to cook the vegetables and thicken the soup with the roux.

This recipe was translated from the Slovak original: Rybacia polievka z kapra s koreňovou zeleninou