Sprat soup in tomato sauce will impress even the most discerning gourmet. Write it down in your recipe book - you will be pleasantly surprised by the simplicity and taste of this soup.
About sprat
Sprat are small schooling fish that belong to the herring family and live in the North, Baltic and Norwegian Seas. And if smoked sprats, which belong to the same family, are an undoubted culinary symbol of Estonian Tallinn, sprat in tomato has long won universal love and recognition in Russia due to its low cost, availability and outstanding taste.
What you need to take for the soup
Take 300g of sprat is better than fresh, but you can also frozen, 500g of tomatoes or 4 tablespoons of tomato paste, 1 onion, 1 carrot, salt - better to taste (about a third of a teaspoon), 1 teaspoon of sugar, 1 bell pepper, 1 tablespoon vinegar 9%, 3 tablespoons of rice (preferably long or medium grain), 1 - 2 potatoes, 1 bay leaf, 2-3 black peppercorns, vegetable oil for frying, herbs to taste
Important
When choosing a sprat, pay attention to the fact that the fish should be whole, have an even silver color and, of course, the appropriate freshness. It is not necessary to choose the largest sprat - the small fish will quickly become saturated with the aromas of your dish and will have even better taste.
Cooking procedure
Wash the tomatoes and mince them. Squeeze the peeled onions in cold running water and chop finely. Cut the bell pepper into thin strips - do not forget to thoroughly wash, remove the leg and the middle with the seeds! Coarsely grate the peeled carrots.
Take a skillet and sauté the onions, carrots and peppers in vegetable oil. Make sure that the onion turns golden and does not burn! When ready, put the vegetables from the pan into a saucepan, add tomatoes or tomato paste, salt, add sugar, mix everything and simmer over low heat for about an hour. Peel and wash the sprat and add to the tomato stew. Stir and cook for another hour. Add a little water if the stew is too dry or scorching. Pour the vinegar into a saucepan, cook for another 5-7 minutes and remove from the stove.
Rinse the rice and pour it into a saucepan, fill it with water on top. Follow the usual boiled rice recipes, which are usually easy to find on the packaging. Cook until half cooked. Add the chopped potatoes to the rice. Spices to taste, bring to readiness.
Transfer the cooked tomato stir-fry, bay leaf, and peppercorns to a pot of potatoes and rice and let the soup simmer. Your sprat soup in tomato sauce is ready! Let it brew for 10-15 minutes and pour into bowls. Decorate with herbs.
