Ingredients
Fish
- 1.5 kgmixed freshwater fish: carp, bleak, catfish
- or mixed rockfish and their heads
- juice of 1 lemon
- salt
Base
- 4 tbspoil
- 2onions, chopped
- 2carrots, diced
- 1celery stick
- 1red pepper, chopped
- 4 clovesgarlic
- 3tomatoes, chopped
Spice
- 2 tbspsweet paprika
- 1 tsphot paprika
- 2bay leaves
- 1 tspdried thyme
- salt and plenty of black pepper
Liquid
- 2 litreswater
- 150 mlwhite wine
To finish
- 2 tbspplain flour, optional
- chopped parsley
- a squeeze of lemon
To serve
- bread
- a hot chilli on the side
Directions
- Use several kinds of fish rather than one, and keep the heads and bones. The bony small fish give body and the meatier ones give the flesh, and a soup from one fish alone tastes thin.
- Scale, gut and rinse the fish, and rub them with lemon and salt. The lemon and salt rub takes away any muddy river taste, which freshwater fish often carries. Strain the stock through a sieve, pressing the solids, then through a cloth if you want it clear.
- Fry the onions in oil until soft and golden, about 10 minutes. Add the carrot, celery and pepper and cook 10 minutes more. Add the garlic and cook a minute. Now take the pot off the heat before the paprika goes in.
- Stir both paprikas into the hot oil, then immediately add the wine. Adding liquid straight away stops the paprika cooking any further. Add the tomatoes, thyme and the strained stock and simmer 20 minutes. Let the vegetables soften completely and the broth reduce a little. Poach the fish for 8 to 10 minutes only, at a bare simmer.
- Add the fish at the end and never at the start, because it disintegrates completely over a long cook. Do not stir it once the fish is in, which breaks the pieces apart.
- Shake the pot gently instead. If you want it thicker, whisk the flour into a little cold water and stir it in before the fish goes in. Season with salt and a great deal of black pepper. It should be peppery, which is what a čorba is, and a timid one has missed the point.
- Finish with parsley and a squeeze of lemon off the heat. Serve it hot with bread and a fresh hot chilli on the side for people to bite into.
Technique
- Skadar Lake carp and bleak are the traditional lake fish, and rockfish the coastal ones.
- It does not reheat well, because the fish breaks up entirely.
- A splash of rakija is added by some cooks, which is a lake tradition.
Substitutions
- Any mix of firm white fish and a few bony ones for the stock.
- Fish stock from a good fishmonger, if you have no bones.
Variations
- Made on the coast with rockfish and more wine.
- Blended smooth, as a thicker soup.
- With rice added, which is common inland.
History
Made on Skadar Lake with carp and bleak, and on the coast with rockfish from the morning catch.
Frequently asked questions
What is Riblja corba?
Riblja corba is a soup & stew from Montenegro: peppery soup of lake or sea fish thickened with vegetables and paprika. Made on Skadar Lake with carp and bleak, and on the coast with rockfish from the morning catch.
How long does Riblja corba take to make?
Riblja corba takes 30 min of preparation and 1 hr of cooking. The recipe makes 6 servings. It is rated medium to make.
What can I substitute in Riblja corba?
Yes, within limits. Any mix of firm white fish and a few bony ones for the stock. Fish stock from a good fishmonger, if you have no bones.
What is the most important thing to get right in Riblja corba?
Use several kinds of fish rather than one, and keep the heads and bones. The bony small fish give body and the meatier ones give the flesh, and a soup from one fish alone tastes thin.
