The Ritual Master Hello my friends ! And welcome to day 19 of our Scandinavian Advent Calendar !
Dreaming of a fish menu for this year’s festive meal, I went in the direction of Finland for this traditional salmon soup.
Lohikeitto is prepared all over Finland, but there are sources that mention its origins in Lapland. Needless to say, I’m going with this story, because Lapland makes me dream of everything that is magical about Christmas.
So I’ll begin preparing my vegetables : this is an easy recipe, perfect for beginners or for simplifying one of the steps in your ideal festive menu. Two carrots and two potatoes get peeled and chopped into cubes, then one leek gets thinly sliced as well (I only used the white part). Some butter into your pan, then soften the leeks over medium heat for a few minutes. In go the carrots and potatoes, along with two bay leaves and stock. I didn’t have fish stock at hand so I used vegetable instead.
While this simmers away under the lid, I’ll prepare my salmon cubes. And my assistant is here to make sure I don’t accidentally put less noble pieces into our soup.
When your potatoes are boiled, mix in two generous tablespoons of sour cream, then gently immerse the fish cubes making sure you don’t over stir. Cover and let it simmer for 5 minutes.
Finally, add in some freshly ground pepper and a generous amount of chopped dill. At this point I like to turn off the heat and put the lid back on so that the dill can infuse into the soup without overcooking.
This is a hearty yet delicate soup, the salmon seems to bring a touch of noblesse to an otherwise plain vegetable soup. A dish to include in your Christmas menu, or maybe to prepare on its own for a simple dinner after a day out in the snow.
This might be what Santa Claus eats when coming home on Christmas Day, after a frozen night out on the slay. I wonder if he shares with his reindeer. At least the carrots !
Until tomorrow, merry festive cooking !
Lohikeitto (Finnish salmon soup) recipe
Ingredients :
700gr salmon cut up in cubes
1 leek (use only the white part)
2 carrots
2 potatoes
1 liter soup (or vegetable) broth
2 tablespoons sour cream
2 tablespoons of butter
a generous bunch of dill
2 bay leaves
Like any soup, the recipe is pretty straightforward. Soften the chopped leek in the melted butter, then add the cubed carrots and potatoes. Cover with the stock, add the bay leaves and let it simmer over medium heat until the potatoes are soft. Then add the sour cream and the salmon cubes, making sure you don’t stir too much (so that the fish stays compact). Simmer for 5 more minutes with the lid on, then turn off the fire, add the chopped dill and cover to let it infuse.
Serve hot and enjoy a nice glass of snaps with it (for a traditional heating meal in the winter).
Bon appétit !
