Tag: paprika

Hungarian Fish Soup with Rockfish (Halászlé-Inspired)

Hungarian Fish Soup with Rockfish (Halászlé-Inspired)

Hungarian Fish Soup with Rockfish
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A while back, I shared Hungarian Chicken Soup with Farina Dumplings, called Grízgaluska. Now, another Hungarian-inspired soup joins the repertoire: a simple fish soup with a generous dose of paprika.

Halászlé, or Hungarian fisherman’s soup, has its roots along the Danube and Tisza rivers, where fishermen prepared it with freshwater fish such as carp and catfish. Onion, fish, and paprika form the foundation, with regional variations shaping the broth and preparation. This version takes a shortcut with prepared fish stock and uses yelloweye rockfish in place of the traditional river fish.

The paprika has a personal connection: my brother brought it back as a gift from a visit to Hungary. (Thanks, Don!) Packed in a little cloth bag decorated with red peppers, it is labeled csípős, the Hungarian word for hot. Here, equal amounts of sweet and hot Hungarian paprika give the broth its deep red color, full pepper flavor, and a welcome touch of heat. Paprika fans will find plenty to love.

Yelloweye rockfish has mild, firm white flesh that becomes tender and flaky when cooked. Gently simmered in the paprika broth, the cubes make a lovely centerpiece for this small batch of soup.

Partially blending the softened onion gives the broth body without cream or flour. The fish cooks in just a few minutes, and a splash of white wine vinegar balances the soup.

Rather than serving bread on the side, I top the soup with homemade Old Bay croutons. The classic seafood seasoning makes them a natural match for the fish, while the toasted bread adds crunch. With prepared stock on hand, the whole dish comes together in about 35 minutes.

Hungarian Fish Soup with Rockfish (Halászlé-Inspired)

Hungarian Fish Soup Recipe

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An Extraordinary Dinner with Fellow Bloggers


A Salad of Steamed Baby Beets, Frisée , Cumin-Paprika Fried Organic Garbanzos, Shallots and Greek Feta

The inspiration for this dish came from our dinner at AOC. Here, organic garbanzo beans are fried in olive oil with diced shallot, smashed garlic clove, hot paprika, and ground cumin.


Organic frisée is layered with very thinly sliced shallots, steamed baby beets splashed with good red wine vinegar and sea salt and freshly ground pepper, topped with Greek feta cheese. Warm garbanzo beans with the cumin-paprika olive oil is spooned over the top. The red wine vinegar on the beets plus the fragrant olive oil on the beans makes a great “deconstructed” vinaigrette. (I am excited to submit this dish, too, to “My Legume Love Affair” Event by Susan of The Well Seasoned Cook Blog).


Last week, the folks at Foodbuzz invited Featured Publishers to dine at Suzanne Goin’s awesome AOC restaurant in Los Angeles. Ben of Château Petrogasm blog selected the refreshingly esoteric wines to pair with this extraordinary meal including one of the few domaines that make excellent red Sancerre, Domaine Vacheron 2005. Ben’s wine blog of tasting notes through images is pure genius…

We dined together on a fabulous multi-course menu of:

  • chicken liver crostini with pancetta
  • roasted dates, parmesan and bacon
  • marinated beets, olives, fried chickpeas and feta
  • leek and cantal tart with thyme and pancetta
  • smoked trout, persimmon, endive and creme fraiche
  • petrale sole, split peas, ham hock and truffle butter
  • grilled skirt steak with roquefort butter
  • rabbit ragout with dijon, chestnuts and tarragon
  • chanterelles, ricotta gnocchi and sherry cream
  • sweet potatoes with bacon, romesco and spinach
  • sheep’s milk cheescake with cassis compote and almond croustine
  • chocolate and hazelnut dacquoise with gianduja mousse and salted caramel ice cream


    • Strangers just a few hours earlier, we departed after hugs and well wishes.

    Wonderful photos of all these dishes are posted at Foodbuzz Los Angeles by Jen of eating plum blog. If you think these dishes sound delicious, you must see her outstanding photography.
    You absolutely must visit Evie, she is hilarious. In her post on Mushroom Barley Soup, her advice on serving the soup is to “use a bowl, not a plate. These decisions can be so difficult.” Go to Hot Dish! to see what I mean.
    And Kat of Dirt Cake blog is the Pastry Cook at Spago Beverly Hills, lovely and very passionate about her craft…be sure to check out her yummy post on Oatmeal Cream Pie with a crème brûlée center.
    What is Foodbuzz?
    Foodbuzz: the first-ever community site devoted exclusively to food and dining content—an unparalleled resource for searching, surfing and sharing with fellow foodies everywhere.

    Maybe you already know Ryan the Girl, of The Pink Spoon blog and Managing Editor at Foodbuzz.com? If the future of Foodbuzz is determined by the quality of the people involved, it cannot help but be a smashing success.
    Before leaving AOC, I bought Suzanne Goin’s cookbook, Sunday Suppers at Lucques in which she penned, “Don’t wait til Sunday.” In addition to her fabulous recipes, she tells many charming personal stories. Her cooking style is pure and fresh and the book is an inspiration to cook local, organic, seasonal dishes using all the senses.


    A heartfelt thank you to the folks at Foodbuzz for hosting this event and especially for fostering a unique camaraderie among strangers with a like passion for all things food related.