Hungarian · soup

Halászlé (Fisherman's Soup)

Name: Halászlé (Fisherman's Soup)
Prep time: 35 min
Total time: 35 min
Cuisine: Hungarian
Ingredients: 2 lbs carp and other freshwater fish, cut into thick steaks (plus 1 lb heads and bones for broth); 2 onions, chopped; 2 tbsp hot Hungarian paprika; 1 tbsp sweet Hungarian paprika; 2 hot green peppers; 2 tomatoes, chopped; 1 1/2 tsp salt; fish roe and milt (optional)

Halászlé (Fisherman's Soup) reads umami 5.3, richness 4.1 and salinity 3.9 on Palate's 0–10 flavor X-ray — a Hungarian soup, about 35 min. Measured from the recipe itself: ingredients and technique.

The flavor X-ray — six axes, 0–10

Umami & Savory — 6.1 / 10
Sweet & Fruity — 4.6 / 10
Sour & Bright — 2.3 / 10
Bitter & Earthy — 1.7 / 10
Rich & Fat — 4.1 / 10
Aromatic & Spice — 3.6 / 10

The measured notes (of 18)

Umami 5.3 · Richness 4.1 · Salinity 3.9 · Marine & Briny 3.9 · Sweetness 3.8 · Allium 3.3 · Fruity 2.6 · Sourness 2.1 · Heat 2.0 · Smoke 1.5 · Herbaceous 1.3 · Earthy 1.0 · Bitterness 0.8 · Citrus 0.7 · Floral 0.5

What's in it (8)

2 lbs carp and other freshwater fish, cut into thick steaks (plus 1 lb heads and bones for broth)
2 onions, chopped
2 tbsp hot Hungarian paprika
1 tbsp sweet Hungarian paprika
2 hot green peppers
2 tomatoes, chopped
1 1/2 tsp salt
fish roe and milt (optional)

Time & effort: about 35 min · effort: medium

Nutrition (per 100 g, engine-estimated): 91.3 kcal, 10.3 g protein, 4.1 g fat, 3.6 g carbs

Dietary: Contains meat · Contains seafood — engine-derived; double-check anything allergy-critical.

How it's cooked (4 steps)

Simmer fish heads, bones, and scraps with onion in water to make a rich fish broth, then push through a sieve to remove bones.
Return the strained broth to the heat and season very boldly with hot and sweet paprika.
Add thick fish steaks and hot peppers and simmer for 20 minutes until the fish is just cooked.
Adjust heat level and salt, and serve in the pot with white bread.

Dishes with a similar flavor shape

Txangurro a la Donostiarra — Basque · Hegoalde (Spain)
Acqua Pazza — Italian
Manhattan-Style Tomato Clam Chowder — American
Edikang Ikong Soup — Nigerian
Southern Gumbo — Southern

Keep reading: what umami, richness, salinity mean in the flavor lexicon · the world's cuisines, by flavor.

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Every number above is Palate's engine-measured estimate, computed from this recipe's ingredients and techniques — not human-tasted ratings or reviews.