Finnish Salmon Soup – Lohikeitto

With salmon, dill and root vegetables, Finnish Salmon Soup is a light, healthful soup that will carry you from winter into spring.

The winter was long and hard this year–thank goodness it’s over!  But on the positive side, it was perfect soup weather.  Yes, cold nights just cry out for cozy dishes, and provide the perfect inspiration for new soups like Chili Spiced Pork Stew.

And now that spring is here… I’m still in the mood for soup!  Just lighter recipes.  Go figure! 

From above

So I was happy to see this recipe for Finnish Salmon Soup or Lohikeitto come across my feed from The View from Great Island.  I had salmon in the freezer and I knew it would help me finish off some of my stored root veggies, left from last fall.

Rutabaga for a touch of gold

Now whenever I make a soup recipe that might go into the freezer, I like to substitute roots like turnips, kohlrabi and rutabaga if it calls for potatoes.  They amp up the health value and more importantly, freeze beautifully.  Since this soup is traditional, however, I wanted to stay fairly true to that.  Happily, a quick web research search confirmed that adding other root vegetables is indeed done with this soup.

Per Wikipedia, Lohikeitto is a ” Finnish soup made with salmon, potatoes (other root vegetables can be added such as rutabaga, carrots, onions), cream and dill.”  And a search of forums provided Finnish home cook recipes with other root veggies.  Of course, I also love the golden tones of the rutabaga! 

Closeup

Now this soup also allows you to substitute other broths for fish broth.  But I wanted to share a little secret that ensures I always have “fish” broth around. I buy my shrimp raw, in the shell, because cooking from raw adds more flavor. But before I use them, I shell the shrimp and store the shells in the freezer. Later, when I have enough frozen shells to make broth, I cook up a batch from the shells and freeze it in 2-4 cup containers.  Problem solved.

The flavor of Finnish Salmon Soup is mild, so if you are looking for an intense taste experience, well… this isn’t it.  But for a light, healthful soup that will carry you from Winter into Spring, look no further.

Served!

Finnish Salmon Soup

With salmon, dill and root vegetables, Finnish Salmon Soup is a light, healthful soup that will carry you from winter into spring. 

Author: Inger

5 from 1 vote

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 20 minutes mins

Total Time 30 minutes mins

Course Soup

Cuisine Scandinavian

Servings 5

Calories 388 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 1 pound salmon filet skinned and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 4 Tablespoons butter
• 1 leek large, trimmed, cleaned and sliced
• 5 cups broth ideally fish stock but can substitute vegetable or chicken
• 2 cups potatoes, rutabagas, turnips or parsnips or a combination peeled and cubed
• 2 cups carrots peeled and sliced
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup fresh dill finely chopped, divided
• 1 cup half and half or cream
• 1/4 teaspoon allspice
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

 

• Melt the butter in a soup pot and saute the leeks until tender, 5-10 minutes
• Add the broth along with the vegetables, bay leaf and half of the fresh dill. Bring to a simmer, then cook until the vegetables are just tender, about 10 minutes
• Add the salmon chunks, half and half and allspice, and gently simmer on low heat until cooked through, a few minutes. Remove the bay leaf.
• Add the remaining dill, and salt and pepper to taste.
• Enjoy!

Nutrition

Calories: 388kcal

I am not a health professional and nutrition data is calculated programatically. Accuracy may vary with product selection, calculator accuracy, etc. Consult a professional for the best information.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

• ← Cilantro Lime Rice with Snow Peas
• Smoked Salmon Dill Scones  →