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!
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!
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 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
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 Salmon Soup – Lohikeitto
Video
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
Instructions
- Remove the skin from the salmon and cut into largish chunks. Remove any small pin bones and discard. Reserve the skin, you're going to need it to make the broth.
- Melt the butter in a soup pot and sauté the leeks for about 10 minutes, stirring often, until nice and soft.
- While the leeks are cooking, put 5 cups of water and the reserved fish skin in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Turn down the heat and simmer gently for 10 minutes. Note: if you are using fish stock you can skip this step.
- Strain the broth and add to the pan with the leeks, along with the potatoes, carrots, and half of the fresh dill. Cook for another 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are just tender.
- Add the salmon chunks to the soup along with the cream and allspice, and gently simmer on low heat until cooked through, just a few minutes. Add the remaining dill, and salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
- If you can get your hands on great fish stock, by all means use it! Clam broth can also be used. I’ve sometimes even used clam juice as a base for fish soup.
- I’ve occasionally made this soup with hot smoked salmon (the kind that comes in a chunk) and it gives great flavor.
- Serve this soup with some rustic artisan style bread ~ rye or pumpernickel would be amazing! I have a great recipe for Pumpernickel Biscuits on the blog which would be perfect with this Finnish salmon soup
- Consider doubling the recipe so you can have the leftovers the next day, it gets even better!
Nutrition
This soup is great!! Salmon is my favorite fish. I’ve never been a fan of fish soups but this soup? I could have eaten the whole pot… but I didn’t!
I replaced the unsalted butter with salted plus a teaspoon of salt to the fish stock. You need to season early otherwise it has no effect. The rest of the recipe worked well.
I made this tonight for supper! It was so delicious! My daughter remarked that it was her favorite soup I’ve made so far this year. I’d have to agree!
This soup and shrimp chowder are my favorite!
This recipe is a sure winner. I’ve made it for friends and shared it with friends. My grandsons who live in Finland say this is better than any salmon soup they’ve had before. The last two times I’ve added 1 tsp of curry powder to the onion and carrot saute stage. I can’t remember where I picked up this tip but it does “brighten” the flavors and yet doesn’t shout “I’ve added curry powder to this. Again a sure fire hit.
My family and guests love this recipe. I have made it at least 8 times now. It’s on our regular rotation.
For the soup stock I’ve been using the Japanese hon dashi fish stock powder. Turns out perfect every time.
Made this with my husband for our infamous last meal of the year, and it blew our little family away! I had seafood stock on hand so I removed the salmon skin and made a delicious crispy topping with it. *Fresh* dill is a MUST! Thank you for our new favorite, Sue – definitely adding to our family recipe book!
We recently returned from Helsinki where I tried the salmon soup in three different restaurants. I amended your recipe by adding a little smoked salmon skin to the broth and a little chunk of smoked salmon along with fresh salmon. It added a very fine smokey (but not overpowering) aspect to the dish. It is becoming our staple!
I’m a huge believer in smoked salmon, check out my other smoked salmon recipes if you are too. I’m thrilled it lived up to your travel dining experiences!
This recipe is so well laid out, and the little additional comments are so helpful. My family absolutely loves this recipe! Everyone oohs and ahhs while we are eating. I love making this for them, it is so hearty and yet healthy. Thank you so much for sharing this!
So glad you all loved it Millie, thanks!
After a trip to Finland, we were craving the delicious salmon soup that could be found in cafés and restaurants everywhere we went. We stumbled upon this recipe, and it has firmly established itself as an autumn and winter favorite in our family. We love this recipe so much, we have planted dill, which is difficult to find here in Portugal, although dried dill has also worked in a pinch. We have also experimented and converted this into a pie and this was also a treat.
Love this so much!!