Halászlé (Hungarian Fisherman's Soup)

About This Recipe

Halászlé (fisherman's soup) is one of the great soups of Europe and Hungary's most debated dish — the rivalry between the Baja and Szeged styles has continued for over a century with no resolution. Both use paprika-rich broth and freshwater fish from the Danube and Tisza rivers; the difference is technique. Szeged-style: the fish is boiled in stages, the smaller fish and off-cuts are cooked until they dissolve, the broth is strained and passed through a sieve, then the large fish pieces are added back for final cooking. Baja-style: no straining — everything goes in together in a large pot over an open fire (bogrács), with wide noodles added at the end. Both are powerfully paprika-forward and aggressively spiced.

Ingredients

Serves 4

• 1 kgcarp, catfish or pike(cleaned, cut into steaks)
• 500 gfish trimmings, head and bones(for the base broth)
• 3 tbspsweet Hungarian paprika
• 1 tbsphot Hungarian paprika
• 3onions(roughly chopped)
• 2green peppers(one for broth, one diced to finish)
• 2tomatoes(roughly chopped)
• 1fresh hot chilli(optional, for extra heat)
• 1.5 litreswater
• 2 tspsalt
• wide egg noodlescooked separately, to serve (Baja style)

Instructions

1. 1

   Build base broth (Szeged method)

   Place fish trimmings, head and bones in a pot with onions, tomatoes, one green pepper, water and salt. Simmer 40 min. Strain through a fine sieve, pressing all solids — the resulting broth should be flavourful and slightly thick from the fish gelatin.

2. 2

   Add paprika

   Return strained broth to the pot. Add sweet and hot paprika. The colour should turn a deep, vibrant red. Bring to a simmer.

   Add paprika to the liquid off direct heat briefly, then return to simmering — this prevents the paprika from scorching.

3. 3

   Cook fish steaks

   Add fish steaks and diced green pepper. Simmer gently 12–15 min — the fish should be just cooked through and still holding its shape.

4. 4

   Season and serve

   Taste and adjust salt and paprika. Halászlé should be deeply red, distinctly spicy and intensely paprika-flavoured. Serve in deep bowls with white bread for dipping, and optionally cooked wide noodles alongside (Baja style).

Variations

• •

  Baja style: skip straining, cook everything together, add wide noodles (csipetke or gyufametélt) to the finished soup

• •

  Use pike-perch (fogasch — the most prized Hungarian river fish) for a more delicate result

• •

  Add a spoonful of sour cream at the end for a richer, more mellow version

• •

  Vegetarian: swap the protein for roasted king oyster mushrooms, smoked tofu or cooked chickpeas — adjust seasoning slightly upward to compensate.

Storage

The broth base keeps 3 days refrigerated. Cook fish steaks fresh each time — they deteriorate quickly in the broth.

Frequently Asked Questions