Clear Russian Fish Soup With Lime And Dill (Ukha)

Directions

1. Bring stock to a boil in a large saucepan. Lower in the fish fillets and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 3 to 4 min - till the fish is just opaque.
2. Carefully lift the fish out and put into flat soup bowls. Pour warm stock on top, squeeze a little lime juice into each bowl, float a thin lime slice on top, and sprinkle with dill. Serve at once.
3. A light, clean first course; serve this Russian soup warm to 6 people.
4. Comments: This soup was highly praised by Ivan the Terrible - who wasn't easy to please - and by Antoine Careme - who was even harder to please, at least gastronomically. As the oldest recorded Russian soup, ukha began life as any digestible food in a liquid, but by the 16th and 17th century lavish Russian courts, it was transformed into elaborate and diverse creations, served between pie courses. It was in the 18th century which it became associated exclusively with fish - and in the 19th century, under the influence of French cuisine, which it became the delicate creation which it is today.