Lohikeitto: An Icon of Finnish Cuisine

In a TikTok video I made several weeks ago defending Finnish cuisine, many people commented and expressed their love for Finnish salmon soup (see the screenshotted comments below).

 

Salmon soup (lohikeitto in Finnish) is an absolute favorite of mine. I made this for a small dinner party with my Lebanese in-laws, and it was a hit! It's bright, creamy, and herbaceous--perfect for all seasons. 

While leek is common in this recipe, I only used garlic and onion as my alliums in my base because I don't usually buy leeks. I'm a big fan of using whatever's around and making alterations so the recipe is serving me, not the other way around, and I encourage others to do the same. This recipe is adaptable and can work with whatever you have, as long as you have salmon. I've been tempted to play around and make a dairy free version with coconut milk, which you may see coming soon. Making food the authentic way is fun, but being hung up on authenticity can take some of the joy out of cooking, and joy is the main reason I cook.

 

Ingredients

^1/4 cup butter

1 yellow onion, diced

6 cloves garlic, minced

3-5 whole black peppercorns

5 cups low sodium fish stock or low soduim vegetable stock (I used a mix of both for this version)

1 pound potatoes, cubed into large chunks

1.5 cups carrot (I used larger baby carrots cut in half)

1 pound salmon, cut into large pieces

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 lemons, juiced

Salt (to taste)

Freshly ground pepper (to taste)

1/2 cup freshly chopped dill, plus more to garnish

 

Instructions

Step 1: Melt down the butter in a large pot over medium heat. 

Step 2: Cook down the onion and garlic until translucent, adding a splash of water and putting the lid on to speed things up (about 12 minutes).

Step 3: Take the lid off and add the potatoes. Sauteé until lightly browned, then add the stock and carrots.

Step 4: Bring to a boil and cook until vegetables are soft, 10-15 minutes.

Step 5: Add the cream, salmon, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 5 minutes until the salmon is cooked through.

Step 6: Add the lemon juice and stir in the dill.

Step 7: Plate, garnish each bowl of soup with a sprig of fresh dill and more freshly ground black pepper.

 

 

I hope you enjoyed this recipe! Please leave a comment below if you have any thoughts at all about salmon soup, Finland, cultural authenticity in recipes, or literally anything else that comes to mind. Subscribe to my email list for recipes straight to your inbox! 📥 ♥️