Finnish salmon soup (Lohikeitto) is the perfect meal for chilly fall or winter evenings. Ready in 30 minutes and really easy to make, it’s creamy, hearty, and comforting.
This salmon soup uses cream as a base, with salmon chunks, potatoes, leeks, and dill garnish. It doesn’t sound too fancy, but believe me—it has everything you need!
INGREDIENTS
- ½ stick (¼ cup or about 50 grams) of unsalted butter
- 1 leek, sliced (white and light green parts only)
- 5 cups (1,25l) fish stock (can be substituted with water)
- 1 lb (450g) potatoes, cubed
- 1-2 carrots, sliced
- 1 slice of lemon
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 lb (450g) salmon fillet, de-boned, de-skinned, and cut into small chunks
- 1 cup (250ml) heavy cream
- 1 cup (10g) fresh dill for garnish, finely chopped
- salt and pepper to taste
INSTRUCTIONS
- First, wash and peel the carrots and potatoes and cut them into pieces or slices about 1 cm in size. Clean the leek and cut it into thin rings.
- Heat the butter in a deep pan and first sauté the leeks until translucent. Then add potatoes and carrots cut into cubes, and fry them for about 5 minutes.
- Add a bay leaf and a lemon wedge, and pour in the vegetable broth. A slice of lemon later adds a slight acidity to the soup. In medium heat, let everything simmer for about 20 minutes until the potatoes are almost done.
- Meanwhile, wash and chop the dill and salmon, or cut them into about 1 cm.
- As soon as the potatoes are almost ready, remove the lemon wedge and bay leaf from the pan and pour the cream over it. Bring everything to a gentle simmer again.
- As soon as the potatoes and carrots are cooked, you can reduce the heat to a minimum. Add the salmon and some dill to the soup and let the salmon simmer for about 2-3 more minutes until it turns light pink. You don’t need a lot of heat for this; otherwise, the salmon would fall apart. Serve everything together with bread and enjoy.My take on salmon soup from Finland
Finnish Salmon soup is prepared quickly and is on the table in half an hour. I will definitely be making this Scandinavian fish stew again and again. You only need a few ingredients, and the result tastes great hot or cold the next day.
This soup from Finland does not taste fishy, but is creamy and mild because of the cream. I think this soup would be delicious with some other fish, not just salmon.
More about Finland
I invite you to read the text about Finland. Originally written in German – Finnland – Die unerzählte Geschichte eines skandinavischen Landes (engl. Finland – The untold story of a Scandinavian country)
If you want to research more about Finnish cuisine, I suggest you look at the following page.
On this page, you will get a comprehensive overview of Finnish cuisine with plenty of recipes you can prepare in the comfort of your home.
This page offers you plenty of recipes from this far northern European country.
