Lohikeitto Recipe: Creamy Finnish Salmon Soup in 30 Minutes

Most salmon soup goes wrong in the last five minutes. The broth tastes good, the potatoes are tender, and then the fish keeps bubbling away until it turns into dry pink gravel.

This lohikeitto recipe fixes that with one move: kill the heat, then add the salmon. The rest stays close to the soup Finnish home cooks have made for generations. Leeks, firm potatoes, a few allspice berries, cream, and an almost rude amount of dill.

In Finland it’s an everyday lunch dish. You’ll find it on a Tuesday canteen menu as easily as at a lakeside summer restaurant. After fourteen years cooking professionally here, this is the version I make at home when I want something warm that doesn’t take all evening.

What makes lohikeitto different from other salmon soups?

Lohi means salmon and keitto means soup, so the name is about as plain as the dish. It’s lighter than a chowder. No flour, no bacon, no roux. The body comes from potato starch and cream, and the flavour leans on leeks, whole allspice and dill.

Allspice surprises people who didn’t grow up with Nordic food. Finnish cooks reach for the whole berries the way a French cook reaches for peppercorns: into stocks, stews, pickling liquid, the Christmas ham. In this soup four or five berries add a warm, faintly clove-like note in the background. You won’t name it while eating. You’d miss it if it were gone.

You’ll also see lohikeitto made with milk instead of cream, or half and half. Those versions are thinner and a little brighter. Cream gives the velvety broth most people picture when they order it, and that’s the version below.

Which salmon and potatoes should you buy?

Get a fresh, skinless salmon fillet and cut it into 2.5 cm (1 inch) cubes. Farmed Atlantic salmon is what most Finnish supermarkets sell and it works perfectly here, since its fat keeps the cubes juicy. Wild Pacific salmon is leaner and tastes stronger, so watch it closely in the pot.

Frozen fillets are fine for a weeknight. Thaw them overnight in the fridge, pat them very dry, and expect a slightly softer texture than fresh.

The potato matters more than people think. In Finnish shops the bags are labelled by texture, and you want kiinteä (firm), never jauhoinen (floury). Elsewhere, look for Yukon gold, fingerlings or small red potatoes. Floury potatoes like russets break down during the simmer and turn the broth cloudy and starchy, which buries the salmon.

Cut the potatoes to 1.5 cm (½ inch) so they cook through in about 12 minutes, the same time the leeks need to melt into the broth.

How do you keep the salmon silky instead of dry?

Turn off the burner before the fish goes in. A soup at a full simmer is close to boiling, and salmon cubes sitting in that heat tighten up within a couple of minutes. Off the heat, with a lid on, the broth stays hot enough to cook the cubes through gently in 3 to 4 minutes.

Check one cube before serving. The US food safety guidance for fish is 63°C (145°F), or until the flesh is opaque and flakes apart. If the centre still looks glassy, put the lid back for another minute. Thick cubes from the fat end of a fillet sometimes need it.

The cream needs the same patience. Take it out of the fridge when you start chopping so it’s at room temperature by the time you need it. Stream it in while stirring, then bring the pot back to a bare simmer only. A hard boil can split cream, and cold cream poured into a boiling pot is asking for it.

Two small restaurant habits make the broth taste deeper. Tie the dill stems into a bundle with kitchen twine and simmer them with the potatoes, then fish them out. The fronds go in fresh at the end. And finish with a spoonful of cold butter for shine.

Ways to change it up

Save the salmon skin and crisp it in a dry pan, then crumble it over each bowl for crunch.

If you bought a whole fish or can get trimmings, simmer the head, bones and skin with water, a bay leaf, peppercorns and a halved onion for 25 minutes, strain, and use it instead of water. This guide to what fish stock is and how to use it covers the basics.

For a smoked version, swap the fresh salmon for flaked hot-smoked salmon and add it off the heat for the last 90 seconds. It’s already cooked, so it only needs warming.

Dairy-free? Full-fat coconut milk replaces the cream. The soup tilts toward Southeast Asia but it works, and you skip the butter at the end. A tablespoon of lemon juice stirred in off the heat brightens any version.

What do Finns serve with lohikeitto?

Dark rye bread with salted butter, always. Sour, dense ruisleipä is the classic, and the tang cuts through the cream. A small dish of pickled cucumbers does the same job.

To make a full Finnish meal, serve the soup as a starter and follow it with something hearty like Finnish meatballs in cream gravy, or keep it light and end with coffee and a slice of braided cardamom pulla.

Lohikeitto recipe

Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 20 minutes | Total time: 30 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 2 tbsp (30 g) unsalted butter, divided
• 2 medium leeks, white and pale green only, halved lengthwise and sliced into half-moons (about 200 g)
• 2 small carrots (about 120 g), peeled and small-diced
• 500 g (about 1 lb) waxy potatoes (Yukon gold or fingerling), diced into 1.5 cm (½ inch) cubes
• 1.2 L (5 cups) water or fish stock
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 to 5 whole allspice berries
• Stems from one small bunch of fresh dill (about 8 to 10 stems), tied with kitchen twine
• 500 g (about 1 lb) fresh skinless salmon fillet, cut into 2.5 cm (1 inch) cubes
• 240 ml (1 cup) heavy cream, room temperature
• 3 tbsp finely chopped fresh dill fronds, plus extra for garnish
• 1 tsp fine sea salt, plus more to taste
• ¼ tsp ground white pepper

Instructions

1. Melt 1 tbsp of the butter in a heavy Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the leeks and carrots and cook, stirring now and then, until soft and glossy but not browned, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the potatoes, water or fish stock, bay leaf, allspice berries and the bundle of dill stems. Season with 1 tsp salt and the white pepper.
3. Bring to a simmer, then lower the heat and simmer gently for 12 to 15 minutes, until a knife slides into a potato cube with no resistance.
4. Slowly pour in the room-temperature cream while stirring. Bring back to a bare simmer, with small lazy bubbles only. Taste and adjust the salt.
5. Turn off the heat completely and wait 30 seconds.
6. Add the salmon cubes in a single layer, cover with a lid and leave for 3 to 4 minutes, until the cubes are opaque all the way through and flake when pressed.
7. Remove the bay leaf, allspice berries and dill stem bundle. Stir in the remaining 1 tbsp butter and the chopped dill fronds.
8. Ladle into warm bowls, top with more dill and a pinch of white pepper, and serve right away with dark rye bread.

Notes

The soup keeps in the fridge for 3 days. Reheat it gently over low heat without boiling, and add a splash of cream to loosen it. The salmon firms up a little on reheating, which can’t be avoided.

To get ahead, make the vegetable and broth base up to 24 hours early. Reheat it to a gentle simmer, cut the heat, and add fresh salmon just before eating.

Skip the freezer. Both the cream and the salmon turn grainy after thawing.

Lohikeitto questions people ask

What is lohikeitto made of?

Lohikeitto is made of salmon, waxy potatoes, leeks, cream and fresh dill, seasoned with bay leaf, whole allspice, salt and white pepper. Many Finnish cooks add a couple of carrots for sweetness and colour, and some use milk in place of cream for a lighter soup.

Can I use frozen salmon for lohikeitto?

Yes, frozen salmon works if you thaw it overnight in the fridge and pat it dry before cubing. The texture is a little softer than fresh, so keep to the off-heat poach and check a cube after 3 minutes.

Why did my lohikeitto curdle?

The cream split because it was too cold or the soup was boiling hard when it went in. Use room-temperature cream, pour it in slowly while stirring, and keep the pot at a bare simmer afterwards.

Can I make lohikeitto ahead of time?

You can make the vegetable and broth base up to 24 hours ahead, but add the salmon just before serving. Reheat the base to a gentle simmer, switch off the heat, then poach the fresh salmon cubes for 3 to 4 minutes.

What does lohikeitto taste like?

Lohikeitto tastes creamy and mild, with sweetness from leeks and carrots, rich salmon, and a strong fresh-dill aroma. The allspice and bay sit quietly in the background and give the broth a gentle warmth.

Cook your way through Finnish soups

Once lohikeitto is in your rotation, try its weeknight cousin: this Finnish sausage soup (nakkikeitto) uses almost the same potato and broth method and costs a fraction of the price. If it’s fish you’re after, the cod in parsley sauce is another pale, creamy, 20-minute supper.

Last update on 2026-10-04 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API