The Finnish salmon soup (lohikeitto, in Finnish) is the perfect soup. It’s like the little black dress of Finnish cuisine.
At the same time, a salmon soup is easy home cooking, super healthy and suitable for any event.
In this household, it’s the go-to recipe for busy weekdays and family parties. This soup was served at a regular Tuesday, my graduation party and our daughter’s christening. It’s the most flexible soup ever invented!
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As pretty much all my cooking directions, this is my granny’s recipe. Word of caution (or relief): this recipe includes no stock preparing. We use, yes, plain old water.
I know, I know, many professionals swear by creating a soup base. But, as my granny had full-time work, two children, and sometimes the whole zoo to watch over (literally, the family lived in the middle of the Helsinki zoo), I understand that she had to cut some corners.
So, according to my granny, for a busy cook, the key to a delicious soup is sautéing the chopped leek and onion. More about that sautéing in the recipe!
Also, another thing. Some people like that a bowl of soup has a lot of stock and only a few ’lumps.’ My family is not those people. A salmon soup must have plenty of salmon and vegetable chunks. If not, it’s a poor man’s soup, like we say in Finland.
Let’s start cooking!
Finnish Salmon Soup
Ingredients for four servings
500 g/1,1 lb salmon, skinned and cut into large chunks
10 potatoes, peeled and cut into chunks
3 carrots, sliced
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 leek, thinly sliced
1 l water
Salt
Butter
1/4 tsp white pepper
1/2 tsp allspice
1 bay leaf
2 dl cream (0,8 US cup)
Plenty of fresh dill, finely chopped
Making the Finnish Salmon Soup
Melt a chunk of butter in a small kettle and sauté the thinly sliced leek and onion. They need to become a bit translucent but by no means brown!
Take the soup kettle and boil the water. Add potato and carrot chunks, sautéed leek, onion and spices. Boil for 10-15 minutes.
Add the salmon on top of the boiling vegetables. Sprinkle salt on top. Gently boil the fish ready.
Preheat cream in the small kettle and add it to the soup. Check flavor and add salt if needed. Last, add dill.
Finnish Salmon Soup as a Party Food
Here are some tips when you are making this soup for a bigger crowd:
- Put the spices into the boiling water in a cloth bag and take the bag away before adding the cream. You’ll get all the flavors in the soup and the guests don’t have to leave spices on the side of the plate.
- Estimating the size of the soup: I usually count 2-3 potatoes and z. 125 g/4 oz salmon per person.
For example, for 15 people, I use 3 kg/6,6 lbs of potatoes, 4 liters/1 gallon of water, 1 liter/0,3 gallon of cream and 2 kg/4,4 lbs of salmon.
Another popular dish for family gatherings is Karelian stew. Here’s my granny’s Karelian stew recipe for you.
Will you try making this Finnish salmon soup recipe? What Finnish recipe would you like to know? Comment below!
Looking for more Finnish recipes? Check out some of my other Finnish food posts:
Warm wishes from Finland,
Varpu
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Hello there!
I’m Varpu. One blonde,
travel-loving,
Finnish engineer driving this site.
Hei Varpu, I just made this soup. I have never tried it before. I keep seeing this posted on a FB Finnish group site so I decided to try it. Its wonderful! I love the flavours. I’m serving it with riisi piirakka and munavoi. My husband is half Finnish and I like to cook him Finnish food. Kiitos for an easy to follow recipe 🙂
Hei Andrea! I’m so happy to hear this, thank you so much for your comment. <3
A Finnish friend shared his version of this on Facebook, also showing his daughter smiling joyously eating it.
I asked on his post what was the recipe, and he instant messaged me the recipe, but omitting some of the quantities.
Fortunately, his picture gave me sufficient information to fill in some of the gaps, and I tried guessing the rest. The only major differences between his recipe and yours were that he spiced with only salt and pepper, and he said that he used either pollock or salmon.
Of course, when I tried making it, I used both pollock and salmon, just because I happened to have both on hand, and because of course I would! And it turned out very nicely, thank you, Jan K.! (The next day, I did add a locally produced salt-free spice blend called “Mural of Flavor” when reheating the soup, and that was very good too!)
I am going to the shop to get a few ingredients soon, so I will make this recipe next week, when the cooler air returns, because I can taste this already.
Wow, thank you so much for sharing! I really appreciate it! The salmon soup is sooo good!
We took our daughter to Lap land twin years ago, and this dish, by far, was a favourite! I’ll be making this soon, thank you so much for sharing xx
Hei Tracy! Yay, I’m so happy to hear that!
Hei, Varpu, kiitos! I tried lohikeitto when I visited Helsinki and loved it. We have lots of salmon here in Canada, too, so I will surprise my husband soon and make this. He is half Finnish will be delighted to taste this soup again.
Hei Jane! Wonderful, I’m so excited for you! Let me know how it goes!
Varpu, What type of cream do you use in the salmon soup?
Hei Ruth and Gary! Thank you so much for your question. I use double cream, the fat % is 35. I hope this helps and let me know if you have anything <3
Too much potato and carrot, too little salmon and leak and dill. Base should be a mix of fish stock and cream. Portions not to the Finnish Karelian soup I still cook where ever I am.
Hei Hilkka, thank you so much for letting me know about your family recipe. It sounds super delicious too. 🙂
Hello: On a recent, short visit to Helsinki I ordered this soup four times, sampling it everywhere I went. It seems to me that the type of potato is important. They were so good! What type of potato to use? Or is it just that Finnish potatoes are that good. 😉
What is the cream measurement? I’m not familiar with it. Thank you
Hei Brad! Yes, that is 0,8 US cup! I added that in, too! Thanks for this. 🙂
I first had this soup in Finland in 2006. My husband’s father was born in Pylkomaki, and he has relatives in Jyvaskyla and Helsinki. I was thrilled to find this recipe and I made it once with out the leek. Great! But I am making it again with all correct things and I think it will be requested very often! Tonight I think it will be perfect. Thank you for the recipe we will enjoy it. Last week was the first time I made it! Kitos, Marsha Leivo.
Hei Marsha! Awwww, your comment totally made my day! Thank you so much for letting me know! Salmon soup is one of my favorite dishes <3
Where did you get your dishes?
I’m going to make the soup. Sounds delicious.
Pam, so happy to hear that you liked the post! You’ll love this soup! This dish is Old Luxembourg by Villeroy & Boch. We Finns love great tableware. The most common dishes here are Finnish brands’, Arabia, Iittala or Marimekko, and this German Villeroy & Boch. I have all these in my cupboards to suit the mood of every meal 😀
Would like to know how to make old fashioned Sian liha and lanttu kukko.
Hi Lea! Thank you for your comment! This is indeed very nostalgic Finnish food coming from Eastern Finland. 🙂
Would Iike to print this but cannot find the link t do so.
Hei Jorma! I’m happy to help! First, right-click on the web page you want to print and select “Print” from the menu window that opened. Did you get to this point or are you facing a problem after this? Let me know! Best, Varpu