This salmon soup recipe is a comforting and satisfying winter meal, featuring a rich texture, delicate salmon flavors, and nourishing ingredients, making it a household favorite.
As I was working on creating the perfect salmon soup recipe, I thought of two key ingredients: dill and lemon.
- Lemon: this ingredient helps to balance out the fishy taste of the salmon.
- Dill: the herbaceous touch of dill complements the lemon's flavor notes perfectly.
Rather than squeezing a lemon right into the soup dish as it is being served— I included a technique that makes sure both have the lemon as the main undertone.
I adapted this elegant technique from my recipe for Greek Avgolemono Soup. Details about the method are later in the post.
Salmon Soup Ingredient
- Salmon: skinless salmon, sliced into cubes.
- Dill: for freshness.
- Lemon: to brighten the soup.
- Broth: use vegetable or fish broth.
- Celery, shallot, & garlic: will add flavor.
- Egg: this ingredient will be emulsified with broth and lemon to create a creamy base.
- Potatoes: sweet potatoes or any starchy potato would work great.
How to Make Salmon Soup
Step One: Sauté the Veggies. The soup starts with a drizzle of olive oil, followed by finely diced shallot, garlic, and celery. These fresh ingredients are going to give this salmon soup so much flavor. Only sautee a few minutes to soften the onion and celery.
Step Two: Add Broth and Diced Potatoes. When it comes to choosing a broth, I would not use anything other than vegetable broth. The flavor of beef or chicken broth would clash with the notes of the salmon.
Use Yukon gold, red skin, or russet potatoes for this salmon soup. I used Kejora Japanese sweet potatoes because the inner white flesh has a nutty, earthy taste with a very subtle sweetness. Whichever potato you use, make sure that you dice it into bite-size pieces.
How to Temper Eggs
- First, add the lemon juice to the eggs and whisk them together.
- Second, remove a cup of the hot broth from the pot, and don't worry if some celery and garlic slivers find their way into the soup.
- Third, slowly drizzle in the hot broth while continuously whisking the eggs, making sure they don't curdle. The result should be a smooth, yellow broth.
- Finally, add the tempered eggs gradually to the pot, stirring while adding them in.
Step Four: Add the Salmon. Finally, gently add the bite-sized salmon cubes and fresh chopped dill to the pot. Give a stir, cover the pot with the lid, and cook on medium-low heat for an additional 15 minutes.
Although fish cooks up quickly, it's important to simmer all of the final ingredients together to create a dish full of flavor.
My family is crazy for hot buttery rice so that's what I typically serve with our meals. For dinner, I served this salmon soup with stovetop rice and a cucumber tomato salad. You can also enjoy a bowl solo with crusty artisanal-style bread.
More Crave-Worthy Recipes
- Zuppa Toscana Recipe (Pork-Free)
- Healthy Mediterranean Orzo Pasta Salad
- Egg Muffins with Greek Feta and Tomato with Spinach
Salmon Soup with Lemon and Dill
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 large shallot, small dice
- 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
- ½ cup small diced celery about 2 ribs of celery
- 2 teaspoons sea salt, divided
- ½ teaspoon coarse black pepper
- 32 ounces vegetable broth
- 2 cups water
- 2 large potatoes, peeled, chopped into bite-size pieces yukon gold, russet, or kejora Japanese sweet potatoes would work great.
- 1 lemon, juice of
- 1 egg
- 1 pound wild Alaskan salmon, cut into cubes
- ¼ cup fresh chopped dill
Instructions
- Heat a pot over medium heat. Once the pot has heated, drizzle in the olive oil, add the shallot, garlic, celery, 1 teaspoon of salt, and pepper. Sauté the onion and celery mixture for a few minutes until softened.
- Add the vegetable broth, water, the last of the sea salt, and potatoes. Cook, covered with a lid, for 15 minutes over medium heat, or until the potatoes are fork-tender.
- Remove a cup of the hot broth—don't worry if some celery and garlic slivers find their way into the broth. Place the broth aside.
- Add the lemon juice to the eggs and whisk together. Now it's time to temper the eggs. Slowly drizzle in the hot broth while continuously whisking, making sure the eggs don't curdle. The result should be a smooth, yellow broth.
- Gradually add the tempered eggs to the pot, stirring constantly.
- Add the cubes salmon and fresh dill. Give a gentle stir and cook for another 15-20 minutes over medium heat, covered with a lid.
- Serve with fresh sprigs of dill and a wedge of lemon.
Tim says
I added sour cream. It was very good. Thanks for the recipe!