Finnish Salmon Soup (Lohikeitto)

Name: Finnish Salmon Soup – Lohikeitto
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Ingredients: 1 lb skin-on salmon filet; 4 Tbsp unsaltd butter; 1 large leek, trimmed, sliced, and well rinsed; 5 cups water (you can also use fish stock); 1 lb russet potatoes, peeled and diced; 1 large carrot, sliced; 1 cup fresh dill for garnish, finely chopped, divided; 1 cup heavy cream; 1/4 tsp allspice, use more to taste; salt and pepper to taste

Finnish Salmon Soup – Lohikeitto ~ this simple salmon and potato soup is the ultimate 30 minute spring meal, with a light cream broth, melt-in-your-mouth chunks of salmon, and tons of fresh dill!

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Finnish Salmon Soup, or Lohikeitto, is a simple Nordic salmon chowder and a comforting 30 minute meal made with a light cream broth, melt-in-your-mouth chunks of salmon, and tons of fresh dill!

a bowl of Finnish Salmon Soup – Lohikeitto

traditional salmon soup is a spring favorite

I’m obsessed with this healthy Finnish soup (in Sweden the soup is called Laxsoppa, in Norway, Fiskesuppe.) It’s utterly simple and so satisfying ~ made with fresh salmon, chunky potatoes, carrots, and leeks. The flavors are unpretentious and clean, with a traditional dill infused broth touched with allspice. I make it in the spring, of course, when wild salmon is in season, but it’s become one of my favorite winter meals, too. It’s healthy comfort food whatever the calendar says.

ingredients for salmon soup

skin-on salmon ~ wild is best both for flavor and nutritional value. For convenience you can buy it frozen, there’s no loss of nutrients.
leek ~ this gives a nice mild onion flavor and adds color to the soup. Be sure to remove those tough outer layers before slicing.
potatoes ~ any type you like: russet potatoes will soften and melt into the soup, while waxy potatoes will remain firmer.
carrots ~ add color and lots of Vitamins A and C.
fresh dill ~ you can’t beat this feathery herb ~ fresh dill is nice and mild so you can’t really over do it.
cream ~ you can lighten up with half and half, either will work.
butter
allspice ~ unexpected to the American palate, but wonderful!

Finnish Salmon Soup – Lohikeitto in a soup pot with ladle

the key to a great fish soup? it’s the stock!

There’s only one hitch to making a great fish soup, and that’s the stock. Most of us don’t have fabulous fresh fish stock in the fridge, and canned stock isn’t the greatest quality, so we need to get creative.

my secret homemade fish stock hack

I’ve come up with a way to make a pretty good fish stock substitute and it starts with buying salmon with the skin on. I remove it and simmer it in water to make a quick broth. A quick strain and it’s ready to use. The flavor gets even better the next day after the flavors have had a chance to develop.

Finnish Salmon Soup – Lohikeitto ~ in a white bowl with spoon

no shortage of delicious salmon recipes on my blog

We love salmon and eat it more than any other type of fish. Did you know that salmon is one of the best sources of vitamin D?

I make my rainbow salmon skewers all the time because they literally take about 15 minutes to throw together. We eat them with couscous or salad.

Another favorite salmon meal is salmon and zucchini burgers, I serve the warm burgers over a fresh green salad ~ heaven!

When I’m feeling the need for some hearty comfort food, I turn to my salmon coconut curry or creamy lemon dill salmon, both are family favorites.

“Finnish approved! I was born and raised in Finland and I was raised on this. I grew up cooking a recipe very similar to this salmon soup in school. This is great and authentic Finnish salmon soup.”
JOONAS

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