Salmon and Vegetable Soup Recipe
Salmon and Vegetable Soup is inspired by the fish soups of the Nordic countries. Easy but delicious, it features leek, potato, carrots, and salmon. These are cooked in a lightly creamy, buttery broth of stock and milk flavoured with fresh dill.
With simple, everyday ingredients the soup cooks in around thirty-five minutes. Perfect when you need a satisfying but quick dinner. Leftovers will taste great for lunch the next day too.
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It seems that it’s only relatively recently that Britain became interested in the food of the Nordic countries. Noma in Denmark was first declared the best restaurant in the world in 2010, bringing ‘New Nordic cuisine’ to global attention.
But much simpler Nordic food inspired the surprisingly delicious Salmon and Vegetable Soup recipe I’m sharing today.
INSPIRING NORDIC FISH SOUPS
Once upon a time, I didn’t realise there was a difference between the terms Scandinavian and Nordic. My very retro copy of Scandinavian Cooking (published 1973) considers Scandinavia to be made up of Finland, Norway, Sweden, and Denmark.
But these days those countries, plus Iceland, are usually referred to as Nordic while Scandinavia refers only to Norway, Sweden, and Denmark. Mind you, things aren’t entirely cut and dried. Reading this article it seems that terms can change depending on whether you’re talking about geography, culture, or language.
Anyway, reading about fish soups from this region inspired my Salmon and Vegetable Soup.
First off, I discovered lohikeitto. This is a Finnish soup of leeks, carrot, potato, salmon, cream, and dill. Sweden has a similar dish called laxsoppa. Another soup from Finland is kalakeitto. The Scandinavian Cooking version contains cod or haddock, and instead of cream there’s a sauce made with milk. Then we have fiskesuppe: a Norwegian soup of white fish, leek, potatoes, and water.
NORDIC-INSPIRED SALMON & VEGETABLE SOUP
It seemed to me that what all those soups had in common were everyday ingredients (plus fresh dill), cooked simply. Exactly what I was looking for when, last month, I came down with my first cold in three years. With my partner working away, cooking was down to me. So it had to be quick, nourishing and comforting, but not too heavy for my temporarily smaller appetite.
The result was a delicious Salmon and Vegetable Soup that kept me fed for almost two days.
You’ll find a detailed recipe card at the end of this post. What follows is a rundown of the ingredients plus my step-by-step guide with images.
INGREDIENTS
At this time of year, I will almost always have in fridge and pantry the vegetables needed for this soup. A big leek, some potatoes, and carrots.
I also include garlic because, although it probably wasn’t used in everyday Nordic food until the twentieth century, I can’t imagine a soup without it. Lohikeitto sometimes includes a pinch of allspice and a bay leaf so, as I mention in the Recipe Notes at the end, you could substitute those instead if you like.
The salmon I like best is the lightly smoked version available in many supermarkets now. I think it adds a lovely smokiness and depth of flavour to the broth. But regular salmon is fine too. Around 300 grams is plenty for four servings of Salmon and Vegetable Soup.
I’ve come to love the herb dill with its lightly grassy, subtly aniseed flavour and it’s often found in Nordic cooking. This soup has a generous amount, added at different stages to build up the intensity.
EASY SALMON & VEGETABLE SOUP
Once you’ve prepped the vegetables, the soup should only take around 35 minutes to get on the table.
I start by softening in butter the sliced and washed leek for around ten minutes. The garlic, finely chopped, goes in for the last couple of minutes.
The carrots, which take a bit longer to cook than potatoes, go in next and are cooked for 2 minutes to start the softening process. They’re then joined by the potatoes and sauteed for another 2 minutes.
At each of these stages I add a little salt and pepper. I find that building up the seasoning as you go, rather than trying to get it correct at the beginning or tinkering too much at the end, gives a much better result.
I don’t like the strong taste of fish stock cubes so, unless you can make your own fish stock, I recommend using chicken stock for this soup.
To get a light, subtly creamy broth, the stock is joined by an equal amount of whole milk. With salmon, which is already rich, I much prefer this to the cream of some of the traditional recipes. If you’d prefer it creamier, you can replace some of the milk with single or double cream. But add it later, with the salmon, so it has less chance of splitting.
Along with the liquids goes HALF the chopped dill. You can then pop on a lid, bring to the boil, then immediately turn the heat down to a gentle simmer.
Around ten minutes later the vegetables should be tender.
FINISHING THE SOUP
As the salmon cooks quickly in the soup, I don’t add it until right near the end. If you don’t cut it into too chunky pieces, five minutes should be plenty. I add the other half of the dill at this point, keeping back just a little so I can add some to freshen each bowl.
A final taste to doublecheck the seasoning, and the Salmon and Vegetable Soup is ready.
SERVING & STORING SALMON AND VEGETABLE SOUP
With plenty of root vegetables and nutritious salmon, I think this soup is perfect when you need a satisfying and quick dinner. I love the lightly buttery and creamy broth, subtly flavoured with garlic plus generous amounts of dill.
A sprinkle of chopped dill is all it really needs, although you could serve with bread if people are particularly hungry. If you have leftovers then, in smaller portions, the soup makes a great lunch. As a bonus, you’ll probably find the flavours have melded together even better.
I don’t recommend freezing the soup as it could affect the texture of the veg and salmon, as well as split the liquid. But it will be fine in a covered container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
If you’ve tried this simple but surprisingly delicious soup, I’ve love to hear from you. Please leave a comment and rate the recipe.
Salmon and Vegetable Soup
Simple but delicious, this recipe is inspired by the fish soups of the Nordic countries: root vegetables and salmon in a lightly creamy, buttery broth of stock and milk, flavoured with dill.
Ingredients
- 30 g butter
- 1 large leek (approx 275 - 300 g) sliced and washed
- salt and pepper to taste
- 3 cloves garlic finely chopped (see Recipe Note 1)
- 250 g carrots peeled, chopped into bite sized pieces
- 500 g potatoes peeled, chopped into bite sized pieces
- 400 ml chicken or vegetable stock fish if homemade: fish stock cubes not recommended
- 400 ml milk see Recipe Note 2
- 20 g fresh dill chopped
- 300 g salmon (lightly smoked is highly recommended) cut into bite sized chunks
Instructions
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Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
Add the sliced leek and season with a little salt and pepper.
Cook, stirring often, for 8 minutes.
Stir in the garlic and cook for a further 2 minutes.
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Stir in the chopped carrot and cook for 2 minutes.
Stir in the chopped potato, season with a little more salt and pepper, and cook for 2 minutes more.
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Stir in the stock and milk plus HALF of the dill. Put on a lid then bring to the boil. Immediately turn the heat down to a simmer.
Cook for 8 - 12 minutes or until the vegetables are tender.
Stir in the salmon chunks and most of the rest of the dill (save some for a garnish) then leave at a low simmer for another 5 minutes or until the fish is just cooked.
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Take off the heat, check the seasoning, and serve garnished with the reserved dill.
Leftovers can be stored in the fridge and eaten with 2 days. Freezing not recommended.
Recipe Notes
Note #1 I like garlic in this soup even though it probably isn't traditional. If you prefer, leave it out and add a pinch of allspice plus a bay leaf instead.
Note #2 For a creamier soup, some of the milk can be replaced with single or double cream. HOWEVER, this should be added at the same time as the salmon and not with the stock or it might split.
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