Traditional lohikeitto: the Finnish salmon soup with potato, leek and dill

In Finland, land of a thousand lakes and winters that never end, salmon soup is soul food. Lohikeitto means exactly that, salmon soup, and it has been made for generations with fish from the lakes and the gulf, potato, onion and the dill that grows in every Finnish backyard during the short summer.

There are two schools: the clear soup, with just stock, potato and fish, the older one; and the creamy one, with milk or cream, which is now the most common and the one served in every Helsinki restaurant. Whole allspice in the stock is the typical northern European seasoning, and the dill goes in generously at the end.

It is a quick soup with no mystery. The only rule is not to overcook the salmon: it goes in last and is ready in minutes. Serve with dark rye bread and butter, like everything in Finland.

Recipe card

• Origin: Finland
• Category: Creamy soup, main course
• Difficulty: Easy
• Preparation time: 15 minutes
• Cooking time: 30 minutes
• Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

• 500 g skinless salmon fillet in 3 cm cubes
• 1 liter fish or vegetable stock
• 500 g potatoes in cubes
• 1 leek in rounds
• 1 carrot in small cubes
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 30 g butter
• 6 allspice berries
• 1 bay leaf
• 250 ml heavy cream
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh dill
• Salt and white pepper to taste

Method

1. Melt the butter in a pot and sauté the onion and leek over low heat for 5 minutes, without browning.
2. Add the stock, potato, carrot, allspice and bay leaf and cook for 15 minutes, until the potato is tender.
3. Add the cream and let it return to a gentle simmer.
4. Season with salt and white pepper.
5. Add the salmon cubes, lower the heat and cook for 4 minutes, until opaque. Do not stir much so they do not break up.
6. Remove the bay leaf, add the dill, taste for salt and serve with rye bread and butter.

Tips and variations

• Clear version: replace the cream with more stock and add a little butter at the end.
• White fish (cod, hake) makes a good soup by the same method, with less fat.
• A spoonful of lemon juice at the end brings out the dill.
• Leftovers reheat well over low heat, without boiling.
• Waxy potatoes keep their shape; floury ones thicken the broth. Both work, with different results.
• Salmon with skin: simmer the skin separately in the stock for 10 minutes for more flavor and remove.
• Serve with dark rye bread and butter, and a glass of milk or light beer.

Lohikeitto is simple, the way Finland likes it: fish, potato, cream and dill. One pot, half an hour, and the winter gets a little shorter.