Canned Sardine Soup – Easy Fish Soup Recipe

When I was little, soups at home were sometimes made with canned food standing in for the stock – stewed meat, fish in oil, in tomato sauce or in its own juice, various kinds of salted meat. I can't say I'm a fan of such dishes, but I always liked canned fish soup. To be honest, with so much fresh fish around these days, a homemade ukha is the more usual choice, and canned fish soup got somewhat forgotten. The other day we made this soup the way it was cooked a long, long time ago.

By and large, canned fish soup is what they call an empty-fridge dish. A few ordinary vegetables for the broth, fresh herbs, spices and a can of fish packed in oil or in its own juice. As a rule, one can of fish is enough for a soup for a small family. Any fish will do – sardines, saury, sardinella, and if you can get it, salmon or pink salmon. Just don't use the “smoked” kinds, such as sprats.

It is worth noting that there is a whole industry in the world producing canned soups, fish ones included. All you have to do is open the can and heat it up. Homemade canned fish soup is extremely easy to make. Since you can hardly cook a stock from canned fish, we make the soup with a good vegetable broth. And you can take more vegetables than usual. The canned fish goes into the soup right before the end of cooking, just as in saury soup.

Canned fish is what you see in shops most often, and it is very popular. Besides the fish itself, parts of fish are canned too – liver and roe. There are also all sorts of seafood in long-life cans. By the way, the word comes from the Latin conservo – to preserve. When choosing a can of fish for a soup, go for a fish that is fragrant but not overpoweringly so. Because of its strong smell I didn't buy mackerel. I preferred a can of sardines in oil.

Canned fish soup turns out great with pink salmon or salmon in its own juice, chunk tuna or herring. It is better to cook the soup with large pieces of fish, although many people prefer to mash it.

Cook a good broth to your own taste from whatever vegetables you have. Then again, people in the know told me that in places where canned fish soup is popular, vegetables and fresh herbs are a luxury. But I hope that carrots, onions and potatoes can be found everywhere. Other vegetables are optional, if you have them. Whether to add the liquid the fish sits in is up to you. If the fish is in its own juice, the liquid from the can will only do the soup good. And even if the fish is in oil, there isn't that much oil in there anyway.