Name: Zupa z karpia (Polish carp soup)
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 75 min
Yield: 4 servings, about 550–600 ml each
Cuisine: Polish
Ingredients: 600 g pin-boned carp fillets, carefully checked for remaining bones and cut into thick 4–5 cm pieces; 80 g peeled onion, sliced for the marinade; discard after contact with raw fish; 2 g fine salt; 0.5 g ground black pepper; 20 g plain wheat flour, for a light coating; shake off excess; 15 ml neutral oil, for frying; 100 g peeled onion, freshly diced; 1.2 L chicken broth, check the label for sodium and allergens; Up to 300 ml water, optional, to adjust thickness; 150 g carrot, peeled and diced; 100 g parsley root, peeled and diced; 100 g leek, washed and sliced; 100 g celeriac, peeled and diced; 15 g fresh ginger, thinly sliced or finely grated; 2 g sweet paprika; 0.3 g hot paprika, or to taste; 0.5 g ground nutmeg; 1 g dried marjoram; 4 g fine salt, then adjust to taste and broth; 0.5 g ground black pepper

A wide view of „Zupa z karpia (Polish carp soup)“ arranged on a table for serving.

Yield 4 servings, about 550–600 ml each

Serving one quarter of the soup with carp and vegetables

Prep time 30 minutes

Cook time 30 minutes

Ingredients ↓

At a glance

Zupa z karpia (Polish carp soup)

Zupa z karpia is a regional soup associated with Karczmiska in Poland’s Lubelskie Voivodeship. Poland’s Ministry of Agriculture added it to the Traditional Products List on 26 January 2015. The description is a dense, warming, brown-red soup with visible carp and vegetables, seasoned with ginger, nutmeg and marjoram.

The Ministry records an oral method, not a measured recipe: carp is marinated with salt, pepper and onion, lightly floured and briefly fried, then added to broth with vegetables and spices. The source gives no quantities, and regional versions vary. This four-serving recipe is a measured home adaptation of that method using chicken broth and garden vegetables.

Carp can contain many small bones. Use pin-boned fillets and inspect them carefully. Keep the raw fish refrigerated during marination, discard the marinade and onion that touched it, and cook the thickest fish piece to 63 °C (145 °F) with a clean thermometer. This adaptation uses that measured endpoint before turning off the heat so the fish stays tender without relying on residual heat.

Tips for success

Buy pin-boned carp fillets, then run your fingers over each piece and remove any remaining bones with clean tweezers.
Marinate the fish covered in the refrigerator at or below 4 °C. Discard the marinade and onion afterward; do not add them to the soup.
Pat the fish dry and dust it lightly with flour. Briefly fry the pieces to follow the local method; they will finish cooking in the broth.
Cut the root vegetables into similar small dice so they become tender together.
Add carp near the end and stir gently. Check the center of the thickest piece reaches 63 °C, then take the pot off the heat.
Start with less salt if the chicken broth is salted; adjust after the vegetables cook.

Ingredients

Carp

600 g pin-boned carp fillets, carefully checked for remaining bones and cut into thick 4–5 cm pieces
80 g peeled onion, sliced for the marinade; discard after contact with raw fish
2 g fine salt
0.5 g ground black pepper
20 g plain wheat flour, for a light coating; shake off excess
15 ml neutral oil, for frying

Soup

100 g peeled onion, freshly diced
1.2 L chicken broth, check the label for sodium and allergens
Up to 300 ml water, optional, to adjust thickness
150 g carrot, peeled and diced
100 g parsley root, peeled and diced
100 g leek, washed and sliced
100 g celeriac, peeled and diced
15 g fresh ginger, thinly sliced or finely grated
2 g sweet paprika
0.3 g hot paprika, or to taste
0.5 g ground nutmeg
1 g dried marjoram
4 g fine salt, then adjust to taste and broth
0.5 g ground black pepper

Method

Directions

Marinate the carp.In a shallow covered dish, combine the carp with the sliced onion, 2 g salt and 0.5 g pepper. Refrigerate for 15 minutes at or below 4 °C. Keep it separate from ready-to-eat food.
Prepare the vegetables and fish.Dice the fresh onion and vegetables. Remove the carp from the marinade and discard the onion and liquid. Pat each piece dry with paper towels, then coat lightly with flour and shake off the excess.
Briefly fry the carp.Heat the oil in a skillet over medium heat. Fry the fish in a single layer for about 1 minute per side, just until lightly coloured; it is not cooked through yet. Transfer to a clean plate and wash hands and surfaces that contacted raw fish.
Start the soup.In the soup pot, soften the fresh diced onion over medium heat for 3–4 minutes. Add the chicken broth, carrot, parsley root, leek and celeriac. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a steady simmer.
Cook the vegetables.Simmer uncovered for about 12–15 minutes, until the root vegetables are tender but hold their shape. Add the ginger, sweet and hot paprika, nutmeg, marjoram, 4 g salt and pepper. Taste the broth and add up to 300 ml water if a lighter soup is preferred.
Finish the carp safely.Add the fish pieces to the simmering soup and lower the heat. Cook gently, without stirring hard, until the thickest piece reaches 63 °C (145 °F) at its centre when checked with a clean instant-read thermometer. If pieces are too thin to probe reliably, use thicker pieces for the thermometer check. Remove the pot from the heat as soon as the endpoint is reached so the carp stays intact.
Serve.Ladle the soup carefully so each portion gets carp and vegetables. Serve hot, optionally with wheat-and-rye podpłomyki, the flatbread mentioned in the local account.

Nutrition and allergens

Caloriesabout 340 kcal per serving
Proteinabout 30 g
Fatabout 14 g
Saturated fatabout 3 g
Carbohydratesabout 23 g
Fiberabout 4 g
Sodiumabout 1,150 mg

Contains fish and wheat/gluten from the flour; optional podpłomyki contain wheat and rye. Check chicken-broth labels for celery and other declared allergens. Carp may contain pin bones even when sold as fillets; inspect carefully before serving.

Nutrition and allergens

Serving, storage and reheating: Serve hot in four bowls. The official local description mentions podpłomyki made from wheat and rye flour as an accompaniment; they are optional and are not included in the nutrition estimate.

Serving, storage and reheating: Make ahead: Cook the broth and vegetables up to 1 day ahead, cool in shallow containers within 2 hours, and refrigerate at or below 4 °C. Reheat the broth to a simmer and cook the raw carp in it to 63 °C just before serving; do not partially cook the fish.

Serving, storage and reheating: Refrigerate leftovers in shallow covered containers within 2 hours, keeping the refrigerator at or below 4 °C. Use within 3–4 days. Reheat the soup throughout to 74 °C, stirring gently so the fish pieces stay intact.

Serving, storage and reheating: For best quality, freeze portions in airtight containers for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator and reheat throughout to 74 °C.

Estimate basis: one quarter of the measured soup; figures vary with carp, absorbed frying oil, broth sodium and seasoning. Optional podpłomyki are not included.

Zupa z karpia (Polish carp soup)

Tips for success

Ingredients

Carp

Soup

Method

Nutrition and allergens

Nutrition and allergens

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