Salmon Soup (Finnish Lohikeitto)
This dish is common in Finland and other Scandinavian countries. It typically consists of salmon fillet, potatoes, carrots, and leeks. Adding herbs also enhances the soup’s flavor. Many people make this soup with cream, but I have found and been taught that this soup is more authentic without cream, and instead, a good amount of butter is used, which makes the soup richer. The secret to a good Lohikeitto is the broth. At the market and in stores, you can find salmon or other fish soup kits, which contain a decent amount of fish bones, heads, fins, and everything that, when boiled for a long time, results in a rich and flavorful fish broth. The idea for this dish was given to me by a lovely person who lives in Finland, and following their recommendation, I did not take the easier route of using cream in the soup, which automatically makes many dishes tastier but also different.
Since this is still a blog, it’s appropriate to also write about the ambiance. I have written food recipes in hotels in different countries, enjoying the hospitality of Tuscany, and in many other places. This time, I’ll write while looking out of the window of a room at Maarjamõisa Hospital, enjoying the view of the atrium.
Preparation time: Broth preparation 2-3 hours, soup preparation about 45 minutes to 1 hour Difficulty: Rather easy
Quantity: About 5-6L of fish soup
Ingredients:
Broth:
1.5 to 2 kg salmon soup kit (bones, fins, heads)
3 stalks of celery
2 medium onions
3 bay leaves
8-10 black peppercorns
Sea salt for seasoning
Soup:
1 kg salmon fillet, skin removed and cut into desired pieces
4-5 medium potatoes, peeled and diced, or left as-is for fresh potatoes
300-400 g young, thin carrots, sliced into rounds
1 large leek, halved and thinly sliced
A generous handful of chopped dill
100 g butter
Sea salt and black pepper for seasoning
Instructions:
- To prepare the broth, pour water into a pot, add the salmon soup kit, onions, celery, and heat over medium-high heat until boiling.
- Reduce the boiling temperature; fish bones produce a lot of foam, remove it with a skimmer until no more foam forms.
- Reduce the heat to low, add bay leaves, black peppercorns, and season with sea salt.
- Simmer the broth for 2-3 hours over low heat, remove the fish bones and other components, and strain the broth through a finer sieve into another cooking pot.
- While the broth is cooking, remove the skin from the salmon fillet, cut the fish into desired pieces. Dice the potatoes, slice the carrots into rounds, cut the leek in half, wash, and chop into small pieces.
- Add the potatoes, carrots, and leek to the soup, and cook until the carrots are almost tender, chop the dill and add it to the soup. If desired, you can also add chopped parsley, but it’s not necessary.
- Add the salmon fillet pieces to the soup and stir gently. Let the soup simmer for about 8-10 minutes, add the butter and let it melt.
- Serve the soup hot, garnished with chopped dill. The soup improves as it sits, it’s important not to stir it too vigorously to avoid breaking the delicate fish pieces.
Ready!!