A delicate, creamy broth and juicy pieces of salmon. Add vegetables and lots—really lots—of dill. An ideal soup, especially on cool autumn days. Comfort food in its purest form: Finnish salmon soup.
A soup that tastes like memories to me. Late autumn in Helsinki. The day was cold and windy, and mist was blowing in from the water. My stomach was rumbling terribly, but my travel companions were determined to keep sightseeing. Only when I stopped in the street and announced that I was not going anywhere else. Well, unless it was to lunch. We turned toward a restaurant.
I can still taste the soup the waiter placed before me in a deep bowl. Large pieces of salmon—firm potatoes, buttery leek and carrot—floated in the white, hot broth—hot and sweet. And dill. Really lots of dill.
I tried to recreate that flavor in my home kitchen. Many times. And many times without success. The reason was very simple: I was trying too hard. Salmon soup is a simple soup. And only that kind tastes incredible.
NEW NORDIC CUISINE
In Finnish, it is called lohikeitto and, like everything in chilly Scandinavia, it is true seasonal comfort food. On cold days, the most important thing was simply to warm up. Many traditional Finnish recipes are simple dishes. They usually consist of meat, fish and vegetables that could be stored. Finnish salmon soup is one such dish.
You can find similar recipes for simple salmon soup in other Scandinavian countries. They have one thing in common: dill. Really lots of dill. The Swedes call it laxsoppa, while the Norwegians call it fiskesuppe. In every version, it is the pure taste of Nordic cuisine. Its principles are simple: fresh and seasonal, uncomplicated, made from local products and designed to bring out their pure flavor.
I have cooked this soup in many versions: with milk and cream, using fish stock and simply water. Fish stock is the best option, but vegetable stock works wonderfully too. Use cream to make the soup creamy. You will not regret it. Finns say that salmon soup tastes best the next day. At our house, it has never made it to the next day.
P.S. For soup lovers, I also have cheese and broccoli soup in my notebook. It is delicious.
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Enjoy your meal!
Serves 4
Preparation: 10 min
Cooking time: 25 min.
Ingredients
500 g salmon fillet
400 g potatoes
1 large leek—white and light green parts
1 large carrot
1.5 liters fish or vegetable stock
250 ml sweet cream, 18%
20 g butter
1 bunch of dill
salt, pepper
pink peppercorns, optional.
Method
- Remove the skin and any bones from the salmon. Cut it into one-centimeter pieces. Slice the carrot and leek. Peel and dice the potatoes.
- Melt the butter in a heavy-bottomed pot. Add the leek. Fry over low heat until softened but not browned. Pour in the stock. Add the potatoes and carrot and bring to a boil. Cook covered for about 10 minutes.
- Add the salmon to the soup and cook for another 10 minutes.
- Pour half a cup of hot stock into the cream to temper it, and mix thoroughly. Pour the tempered cream into the soup.
- Reduce the heat and gently cook the soup for another 2–3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Optionally, add a few pink peppercorns crushed in a mortar.
