This delicious Finnish Salmon Soup, also called Lohikeitto in Finland, is a warm, hearty bowl of soup perfect for a cold winter night. The soup consists of salmon, potatoes, carrots and onion in a creamy dill-flavored stock. It is a very popular soup not only in Finland but other Nordic countries, too.
I am half Finnish and would like to share with you a couple more Finnish recipes. My mom would make this Finnish Cucumber Salad all the time; we all love it. Swedish Meatballs, are enjoyed in Finland, too and Smørrebrød which are Danish open faced sandwiches.
Why I Love This Soup
- So easy to make
- Fast dinner
- Great way to use salmon
- Hearty for a cold winter night
- Full meal in a bowl
Helpful Items For This Recipe
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Porcelain Soup, Oatmeal Bowls, Set of 6
Ingredients for Salmon Soup
This soup is an economical way to stretch one salmon filet to make 6 servings. The rest of the ingredients are inexpensive also.
Recipe Ingredients
Salted butter – This will give you the best flavor compared to oil.
Onion – Sometimes leeks are substituted for onions. They are delicious as well.
Fish stock – If you can’t find fish stock, you can use veggie or chicken broth instead.
Medium russet potatoes – You can peel or not peel your potatoes. In Finland, at restaurants, it was roughly 50/50 peeled or unpeeled potatoes when ordering this soup.
Carrots – They add some needed color to the soup and, of course, flavor.
Fresh dill – You can substitute 1 tablespoon dried dill for the fresh, but try to get the fresh if you can.
Salt and pepper – Here are the usual suspects, but make sure you use good salt like Kosher and freshly ground pepper.
Cream – We used heavy cream in this recipe, but you can use a lighter cream also.
Skinless salmon fillet – Try to get great quality salmon; I love getting Norwegian if I can.
How to Make Salmon Soup
In a large soup pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent, about 5-6 minutes.
Add the fish stock, followed by the potatoes, carrots, dill, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to keep a gentle simmer. Cook until the potatoes and carrots are tender, about 15 minutes.
Add the cream and stir to combine. Add the salmon filets, stir to combine, then remove from the heat. Let the salmon cook in the hot soup for about 2-3 minutes; it doesn’t take long.
Serve hot with fresh bread.
The answer is yes! The salmon will become tough, chalky and dry if it is overcooked.
Recipe Pro Tips!
Helpful Tips For Salmon Soup
Storage
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 4 days. Try not to overheat when rewarming, or you’ll make the salmon dry.
This soup does not freeze well, as the salmon will be mushy, and the cream will separate.
SALMON AND FISH BROTH
You can make homemade fish broth by simply boiling the skin and head of a salmon for 20-60 minutes. Strain the liquid through a fine mesh strainer when done.
The small salmon pieces will cook very fast in the hot liquid, so there’s no need to keep the pot on the heat.
DO YOU WANT MORE WAYS TO ENJOY SALMON?
Salmon is probably one of my favorite fish, and we love to use it in a variety of recipes. Here are some of our favorites.
Finnish Salmon Soup Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 large onion diced
- 5 cups fish stock *see note
- 2 medium russet potatoes cut into ½ inch pieces *see note
- 3 carrots cut into ¼ inch slices
- ¼ cup fresh dill chopped fine (or 1 tablespoon dried dill)
- ½ teaspoon salt plus more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- ½ cup cream
- 1- pound skinless salmon fillet cut into 1-inch chunks
Instructions
- In a large soup pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions and cook until translucent, about 5-6 minutes.
- Add the fish stock, followed by the potatoes, carrots, dill, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to keep a gentle simmer. Cook until the potatoes and carrots are tender, about 15 minutes.
- Add the cream and stir to combine. Add the salmon filets, stir to combine, then remove from the heat. Let the salmon cook in the hot soup for about 2-3 minutes; it doesn’t take long.
- Serve hot.
Comments & Reviews
Cheryl says
What a wonderful soup!
Will definitely make it again.
Easy recipe that comes together quickly!
Love love the fresh dill!
Thanks again for another great recipe 😋
Tara Noland says
So glad you enjoyed it. We sure enjoy that recipe.
Trish says
This soup is delicious! Easy to make and I was amazed that the salmon cooked so quickly and perfectly off the burner.
Tara Noland says
One of our new faves for salmon!