Lohikeitto - Finnish Salmon Soup

Elena Butuc

I don't make fish soups or broths very often and when I do, I usually cook them in the classic version, meaning fish soup with sour borscht and vegetables. This time I tried a salmon soup with sour cream, or Finnish Salmon Soup (Lohikeitto) and I would say it became one of our favorites. It's inspired by the Finnish cuisine and has a very well balanced taste.

Although this soup can be cooked with any fish, the aroma and taste of salmon are the best match for these ingredients. Preferably use medallions, because they contain skin and pieces of belly with fins and bones. They enhance the taste of the soup or, better said, they make the difference.

In addition, it would be good if you used wild salmon, the fish will be much more aromatic and the texture denser and more consistent.

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Ingredients

Metric US

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Salmon

400 g

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Onions

2 pieces

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Whole black pepper

7 pieces

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Laurel leaves

2 pieces

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Fresh parsley

1 bunch

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Dill

1 bunch

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Potatoes

3 pieces

can be replaced with zucchini

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Butter

50 g

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Heavy cream (32% fat)

250 ml

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Salt

1 tbsp

to taste

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Lemon

0.5 pieces

for serving, optional

Step by step

Step 1

Clean, wash and place the fish in a 4-5 liter pan.

Here I used wild keta salmon medallions from Alaska. It can be found in several stores in Romania, details can be found on alaskaseafood.ro.

Lohikeitto - Finnish Salmon Soup - Step 1

Step 2

Add 1 onion, peppercorns, a bay leaf and a few sprigs of fresh parsley.

Step 3

Pour 2 liters of water into the pot, or enough to cover all the ingredients.

Step 4

Place the pan over heat. When it comes to a boil, carefully skim the foam off with a spoon or a skimmer.

Then reduce the heat and simmer for 30 minutes.

Lohikeitto - Finnish Salmon Soup - Step 4

Step 5

After the fish has boiled, turn off the heat and let the broth infuse for another 15-20 minutes. This way the base of the soup will be more aromatic and with a more intense fish taste.

Step 6

In the meantime, melt the butter in a pan and add 1 finely chopped onion.

Stir and sauté until the onion is nicely browned, then remove from the heat.

Lohikeitto - Finnish Salmon Soup - Step 6

Step 7

Now remove the fish and the boiled vegetables from the pot.

It's necessary to strain the broth through a sieve, so that you don't have small fish bones and peppercorns in it.

Lohikeitto - Finnish Salmon Soup - Step 7

Step 8

In the pan with the strained soup base, add the potato cubes.

Step 9

And the onions we just cooked in butter.

Step 10

Stir and place over heat. When it comes to the boil, reduce the heat and cook for 20-25 minutes.

Step 11

Meanwhile, you can prepare the fish - remove the bones and skin carefully. Optionally, break into larger or smaller chunks, as you like it.

Step 12

If the potatoes are cooked, add the fish chunks to the soup.

Step 13

Pour in the sour cream and mix.

Step 14

Then add in finely chopped greens, season with salt, stir again.

Step 15

Now wait until the soup just STARTS to boil, it shouldn't boil intensely!

Turn off the heat immediately, cover the pot with a lid and let infuse for at least 15 minutes before serving.

Optionally, you can serve it with a little lemon juice, my husband and children preferred without. I liked the fresh lemon note, so just adjust to your preferences.

Enjoy!