Can you freeze salmon soup?

Not with good results. The potatoes go grainy and the cream separates, so make only what you will eat within two days.

Can I use frozen salmon?

Yes. Thaw it completely in the refrigerator first and pat it dry, otherwise the ice water thins the broth.

What can replace the heavy cream?

Whole milk gives a thinner, more old-fashioned soup, and full-fat coconut milk works if you need it dairy-free. Skip low-fat milk, which tends to curdle.

Simmer the potatoes, carrot and leek in the stock ahead of time, then add the cream and salmon just before serving. That way the fish is never reheated.

Do I need fish stock?

No. Water with a teaspoon of salt and the salmon skin and trimmings simmered in it for ten minutes makes a perfectly good broth.

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Finnish Salmon Soup (Lohikeitto)

Name: Finnish Salmon Soup (Lohikeitto)
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Nordic
Ingredients: 1.5 lb salmon fillet, about 700 g, skinless, cut into 1-inch cubes; 1.5 lb potato, about 700 g, peeled and cut into 3/4-inch cubes; waxy or Yukon Gold; 2 pieces carrot, sliced; 1 pieces leek, white and light green parts, sliced; or 1 onion; 2 tbsp butter; 4 cup fish stock, about 1 liter; or water with 1 teaspoon salt; 6 pieces allspice, whole berries; or 1/4 teaspoon ground; 1 cup heavy cream; 1 bunch dill, coarsely chopped, about 1/2 cup packed; salt, to taste; black pepper, to taste, freshly ground; 0.5 pieces lemon (optional), cut into wedges, for serving

By MiddagsarkivetSeptember 26, 2026

Time: 40 min
Difficulty: Easy
Servings: 4 servings

Lohikeitto is the Finnish answer to the question of what to do with a piece of salmon on a Wednesday. It shows up in home kitchens, school cafeterias and lunch buffets across the country, usually with rye bread and butter on the side and very little ceremony. Every family has an opinion about how much cream belongs in it, and whether carrot is welcome at all.

The soup is built in layers: potatoes and leek simmered in stock until tender, cream stirred in, then the salmon added off the heat at the very end so it poaches gently and stays in soft flakes. Dill goes in by the handful, not the sprig. Allspice is the quiet Finnish signature, a few whole berries that give the broth a warm edge without announcing themselves.

A salmon fillet from any American supermarket works. If you can get the skin and bones, simmer them in the water for ten minutes and strain, which gives a broth closer to what a Finnish cook would use. Otherwise bottled fish stock or even plain water with a little salt is entirely normal.

Bowl of creamy Finnish salmon soup with salmon cubes, potato, carrot and chopped dill, served with buttered rye bread — AI generated image. The dish has not been photographed.

How to make it

1
Prep the fish
Run your fingers over the salmon fillet and pull out any pin bones, then cut it into 1-inch cubes. Keep it in the refrigerator until the last step.
2
Sweat the leek
Melt the butter in a large soup pot over medium heat. Add the sliced leek and cook until soft but not browned, stirring now and then.
5 min
3
Simmer the vegetables
Add the potato, carrot, fish stock and allspice. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, partly covered, until the potatoes are tender all the way through.
15 min
4
Add the cream
Pour in the heavy cream and bring the soup back to a bare simmer. Season with salt and black pepper, keeping in mind that the salmon will release a little salt of its own.
3 min
5
Poach the salmon
Lower the salmon cubes into the pot, turn off the heat and cover. Let the fish stand in the hot soup until it is opaque and flakes easily, about 145°F (63°C) at the center. Do not stir hard, or the cubes will fall apart.
6 min
6
Finish with dill
Stir in the chopped dill, taste for salt and pepper one more time, and serve with lemon wedges on the side.

A couple of tips

Add the salmon off the heat. A rolling boil turns the cubes dry and stringy in under a minute.

If you buy a skin-on fillet, simmer the skin and any trimmings in the stock for 10 minutes and strain before you start. The soup gains body you cannot get from a carton.

The soup tastes better after 20 minutes of sitting. Make it, set the table, then serve.

Serving

Serve in deep bowls with buttered rye bread and a bowl of extra chopped dill on the table. A cold beer or a glass of buttermilk is the Finnish default.

Storing it

Refrigerate in a covered container for up to 2 days. Reheat gently over low heat without letting it boil, or the salmon toughens and the cream can split. It does not freeze well.

Nutrition per serving

Calories	820 kcal
Fat	52 g
of which saturated	23 g
Carbohydrates	39 g
of which sugars	5 g
Fiber	5 g
Protein	45 g
Salt	2 g

Guideline values, worked out from the ingredients.

Questions and answers

Can you freeze salmon soup?: Not with good results. The potatoes go grainy and the cream separates, so make only what you will eat within two days.
Can I use frozen salmon?: Yes. Thaw it completely in the refrigerator first and pat it dry, otherwise the ice water thins the broth.
What can replace the heavy cream?: Whole milk gives a thinner, more old-fashioned soup, and full-fat coconut milk works if you need it dairy-free. Skip low-fat milk, which tends to curdle.
Can I make it ahead?: Simmer the potatoes, carrot and leek in the stock ahead of time, then add the cream and salmon just before serving. That way the fish is never reheated.
Do I need fish stock?: No. Water with a teaspoon of salt and the salmon skin and trimmings simmered in it for ten minutes makes a perfectly good broth.

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How it was made

This recipe was written by a language model. Below is what it cost, how long it took and when each step ran, so you can see how the archive comes about.

Cost: $0.221
Time: 1 min 27 sec
Model calls: 5
Safety check: Passed

Date	Step	Model	Usage	Time	Cost
Sep 26, 2026	Wrote the recipe	anthropic/claude-opus-5	7,038 in · 3,078 out tokens	43 sec	$0.112
Sep 26, 2026	Checked food safety	anthropic/claude-sonnet-5	2,210 in · 19 out tokens	1.8 sec	$0.005
Sep 26, 2026	Made the picture	bfl/flux-2-max	1 image	25.1 sec	$0.070
Sep 26, 2026	Worked out the nutrition	anthropic/claude-opus-5	1,624 in · 918 out tokens	12.1 sec	$0.031
Sep 26, 2026	Set the collections	anthropic/claude-sonnet-5	1,476 in · 30 out tokens	1.5 sec	$0.003

Finnish Salmon Soup (Lohikeitto)

How to make it

Prep the fish

Sweat the leek

Simmer the vegetables

Add the cream

Poach the salmon

Finish with dill