Mom's Christmas Fish Soup with Mushrooms
·Soak the mushrooms the day before
The first step towards our Christmas soup happens a day ahead. Soak the dried mushrooms in water. The next day, drain and rinse them, cover with fresh water, season lightly with salt and simmer for about half an hour.
Prepare the fish
Rinse the carp heads, cut out the gills (so the stock doesn't turn bitter), and put them into a pot.
Prepare the vegetables
Add the cleaned root vegetables and onion, along with spices, and season with salt. If you filleted the carp yourself at home, you can also add various trimmings. Just set the soft roe and milt aside — they go into the soup only just before serving.
Simmer the stock
Simmer the stock for about an hour — no longer is needed. Strain it. You can also pick the meat off the carp heads and add it to the soup as well.
Make the roux
Melt some butter in a pot, stir in the flour and make a light roux. Pour in the cooled stock and whisk well so no lumps form in the soup. The amount of roux is up to you — some prefer a thinner soup, others a thicker one.
Add the mushrooms, simmer and serve
Add the mushrooms along with the water they soaked in to the thickened stock. Simmer for half an hour. Meanwhile, cook the noodles in salted water. About five minutes before the soup finishes cooking, add the sliced milt, roe and noodles.