Lohikeitto

Ingredients

Broth

• 300 gsalmon bones, head and trimmings
• 1.2 litreswater
• 2bay leaves
• 10allspice berries

Soup

• 600 gsalmon fillet, skinned, pin-boned and cut into 3 cm chunks
• 800 gfloury potatoes, peeled and cut into 2 cm cubes
• 2leeks, white and pale green parts, sliced
• 1carrot, diced
• 50 gbutter
• 300 mldouble cream
• 1large bunch dill (30 g), chopped
• 1 tspsalt
• black pepper

To serve

• dark rye bread
• butter

Directions

1. Simmer the salmon bones and head in the water with the bay leaves and allspice for 20 minutes, skimming the foam, then strain. A soup this simple depends on that broth for its body.
2. Melt the butter in a heavy pot and sweat the leek and carrot over low heat for 5–6 minutes without letting them colour; browning makes the soup taste caramelised rather than clean.
3. Add the potatoes, the strained broth and the salt, and simmer 12–15 minutes until the potatoes are just tender at the point of a knife.
4. Crush a few potato cubes against the side of the pot to thicken the broth slightly. No flour goes into a proper lohikeitto.
5. Pour in the cream and bring back to a bare simmer, never a boil, or it will split.
6. Slide in the salmon chunks, take the pot off the direct heat, cover it and leave for 4–5 minutes. Residual heat cooks the fish through while keeping it silky.
7. Stir in most of the dill and taste: it should read as fish, cream, dill and allspice, in that order.
8. Ladle into warm bowls, drop a knob of butter into each, shower with the rest of the dill, grind over black pepper and serve with buttered dark rye bread.

Technique

• The salmon goes in at the end and off the heat. That one detail is the difference between silky fish and dry grey cubes shedding white albumin.
• Allspice is the quiet Finnish signature in this soup; leave it out and it reads as a generic chowder.
• Use floury potatoes rather than waxy ones, because some of them are meant to break down and thicken the broth.
• Lohikeitto is everyday food in Finland, not restaurant food, and it is better slightly under-seasoned and finished with butter at the table.

Substitutions

• Rainbow trout is used at least as often as salmon in Finnish homes and is arguably the more everyday version.
• Whole milk can replace the cream for a lighter soup, which is how many families make it midweek.

Variations

• Some cooks finish the pot with a spoonful of soured cream stirred in off the heat.
• Restaurant versions lay a strip of cold-smoked salmon over the top for extra depth.

History

Creamy salmon and potato soup with dill and allspice, cooked from lake and Baltic salmon and served with rye bread across Finland.

Frequently asked questions

What is Lohikeitto?

Lohikeitto is a soup & stew from Finland: creamy salmon-potato soup with leeks and dill. Creamy salmon and potato soup with dill and allspice, cooked from lake and Baltic salmon and served with rye bread across Finland.

How long does Lohikeitto take to make?

Lohikeitto takes 20 min of preparation and 35 min of cooking. The recipe makes 4 servings. It is rated easy to make.

What can I substitute in Lohikeitto?

Yes, within limits. Rainbow trout is used at least as often as salmon in Finnish homes and is arguably the more everyday version. Whole milk can replace the cream for a lighter soup, which is how many families make it midweek.

What is the most important thing to get right in Lohikeitto?

Melt the butter in a heavy pot and sweat the leek and carrot over low heat for 5–6 minutes without letting them colour; browning makes the soup taste caramelised rather than clean.