Lohikeitto

Name: Lohikeitto
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Yield: 4 bowls
Cuisine: Finnish
Ingredients: 500 g Salmon, skinless fillet, 3 cm chunks; 500 g Potato, waxy, peeled, 2 cm dice; 1 large Leek, white and pale green, sliced; 1 medium Carrot, diced; 30 g Butter; 800 ml Fish stock, light; or water with salmon trimmings simmered 20 minutes; 6 piece Allspice berries, whole; 1 piece Bay leaf; 200 ml Cream; 25 g Dill, chopped; 1 tsp Salt; 0.5 tsp Black pepper, white pepper is the Finnish choice

Finnish salmon soup: potatoes, leek and salmon in a light cream broth with allspice and a lot of dill.

Recipe by I Want Some Food · Reviewed by the editorial kitchen.

Start cooking

Prep: 15 min
Cook: 30 min
Rest: None
Total: 45 min
Difficulty: Easy
Spice: No chilli
Cost: A bit special$16–28 USD · indicative, not a store price

Know it before you cook it

About

Lohikeitto is a creamy salmon soup that stays light. Potatoes and leek simmer in fish stock with a few allspice berries until nearly tender, then chunks of salmon go in for the last few minutes so they just set. Cream goes in at the end, and a big handful of dill. The soup is not thickened with flour; the cream and the potato starch do it. Cook the salmon gently and briefly. Overcooked salmon flakes to shreds and the soup turns into a chowder, which is not what this is.

What you'll need

12 ingredients. Tap each one once it's out on the bench.

0 of 12 ready

4 servings

Ingredients

Servings

Salmon, skinless fillet, 3 cm chunks500 g
Potato, waxy, peeled, 2 cm dice500 g
Leek, white and pale green, sliced1 large
Carrot, diced (optional)1 medium
Butter30 g
Fish stock, light; or water with salmon trimmings simmered 20 minutes800 ml
Allspice berries, whole6
Bay leaf1
Cream200 ml
Dill, chopped25 g
Salt4.9 ml
Black pepper, white pepper is the Finnish choice2½ ml

Scaling multiplies the written quantities. Baking still prefers a scale.

Steps

Step 1
Melt the butter in a pan and sweat the leek and carrot with a pinch of salt for 5 minutes without browning.
5 min
Step 2
Add potatoes, stock, allspice berries and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer and cook until the potatoes are just tender, 12 to 15 minutes.
15 min
Step 3
Lower the heat so the soup barely moves. Add the salmon and poach 4 to 5 minutes until it turns opaque.
5 min
Watch: No boiling from here on. Boiling breaks the fish and can split the cream.
Step 4
Pour in the cream and warm through 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Fish out the bay leaf and the allspice if you can find them.
3 min
Step 5
Stir in most of the dill off the heat. Serve with the rest of the dill on top and rye bread and butter alongside.

Nutrition

Per serving · estimate

Calories: 605 kcal
Protein: 34.1 g
Carbs: 32.7 g
Fat: 37.8 g
Saturated fat: 18.7 g
Fibre: 4.3 g
Sugar: 5.8 g
Sodium: 1397 mg

Calculated from canonical ingredient data (USDA FoodData Central averages and equivalent published tables). Estimates only.

Allergens

Informational only. Not a medical guarantee. Cross-contamination happens in real kitchens.

Fish
Milk

Pescatarian
Gluten-free
Nut-free

Adapt this recipe

The original recipe stays as it is. Personal versions are labelled. Serving changes are simple maths.

Adaptations · 0 / 15 used. Resets 13 November.

Substitutions

Cream → Whole milk
Older Finnish recipes used milk. Thinner, lighter, still correct.
Salmon → Trout or arctic char
Lake fish is what cottages use. Same timing.

Tips

Salmon with a little fat, from the belly or the thicker centre, stays juicier in soup than lean tail pieces.
If you want it thicker, mash a few potato cubes against the side of the pan. Do not add flour.
A knob of butter stirred in at the end, Finnish style, is not required but is nice.

History & culture

Lunch-restaurant Thursday food across Finland, market-hall stalls in Helsinki, and the first thing many Finns cook for a visitor. Eaten with dark rye bread and butter. Summer cottages make it with fish from the lake and dill from the garden.

Fish soups are old in Finland, where lakes and the Baltic coast fed people long before farming did well, but the creamy version depends on dairy becoming cheap in the 20th century. Earlier versions were clear broth or used milk, and often whatever fish the net brought rather than salmon. Norway's fiskesuppe and Sweden's laxsoppa are close relatives; the Finnish one is the most dill-heavy.

Traditional

Provenance: Editorial adaptation.

Questions about this recipe

Answers taken from this dish's times, amounts, swaps and tips.

How long does Lohikeitto take?

45 min all in — 15 min prep, 30 min cook. Cook and rest follow the method. Leftover storage and optional extra waits are not included.

How many does it serve?

The recipe is written for 4 bowls. Scale the ingredient list on the page if you are cooking for a different number.

How hard is it?

Easy.

How spicy is it?

No chilli.

What allergens should I watch?

This recipe is labelled for Fish, Milk. Labels are informational — check the packets in your kitchen. This is not medical advice.

Does it fit a diet?

The published recipe is labelled Pescatarian, Gluten-free, Nut-free.

7 more questions

What does it cost to cook?

A bit special — about $16–28 USD, as a grocery budget for this recipe, not a restaurant price.

What equipment do I need?

Saucepan, Chef's knife.

How much salt do I put in?

The recipe lists Salt at 1 tsp.

What can I use instead?

Cream → Whole milk. Older Finnish recipes used milk. Thinner, lighter, still correct. Salmon → Trout or arctic char. Lake fish is what cottages use. Same timing.

What should I watch for?

No boiling from here on. Boiling breaks the fish and can split the cream.

Any tips from this recipe?

Salmon with a little fat, from the belly or the thicker centre, stays juicier in soup than lean tail pieces. If you want it thicker, mash a few potato cubes against the side of the pan. Do not add flour. A knob of butter stirred in at the end, Finnish style, is not required but is nice.

Can I use an air fryer?

This method is not written for an air fryer. The core technique on the page still applies.