Finnish Salmon Soup (Финская уха) or Lohikeitto, is delicious and creamy Salmon soup, popular across Scandinavia and Northwestern Russia. Usually made Salmon heads and bones for the broth, this soup is delicious and full of vitamins and minerals.
In Russia, this style of soup is called Ukha, which is the clear broth version of this soup. Finnish Fish Soup has whipping cream in it, which mellows out the fishiness of the soup. It’s a creamy Ukha Soup, and easier to make than you think!
St Petersburg (2nd largest city in Russia which is located in NW Russia) and Finland are only 200km apart, and it’s only natural that there are recipes in common across the cultures. Over the centuries, the borders kept changing (first border treaty with Russia was signed in 1323) and Finnish people lived in what is Russia today.
How to Cook Salmon Fish Head Soup
The fish broth for Salmon Soup is made with Salmon heads, the more in the pot, the merrier. I used to call this Fish Head Soup as a kid, and it really grossed me out. I was scared of the fish heads, but your don’t eat them! Of course you strain the broth before you add the chunky fish fillets, leaving a delicious and nutritious fish soup.
Don’t let Salmon heads or fish bones in the soup scare you away from making this delicious soup. We think nothing of eating New England Clam Chowder or a Seafood Chowder. This recipe is along those lines, and even more nutritious. You won’t go wrong with Russian Ukha or Salmon Soup. Bon Appetit! Приятного аппетита!
Lohikeitto - Finnish Salmon Soup (Финская уха)
A Creamy Fish Soup made with Salmon and Potatoes (Ukha). Real Fish Broth made with fish heads. Lohikeitto - Finnish Salmon Soup (Финская уха)
Ingredients
- 1 large Salmon frame bones, including head and tail, or several Salmon heads
- 1 onion peeled and cut in half
- 1 teaspoon whole peppercorns
- 10 cups water
- 3 medium potatoes peeled and cubed
- 3 carrots 1 for stock, 2 for soup
- 3 bay leaves
- 1 leek sliced thinly (white part only)
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 500 g boneless Salmon filets
- 1 cup of whipping cream
- bunch of dill
- chopped green onion as garnish optional
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
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In a large pot, put the Salmon bones with head, the onion, 1 carrot, a teaspoon of salt, whole peppercorns and water then bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 45 minutes. Skim off any impurities or foam.
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Strain the soup through a cheesecloth inside a colander (over a large bowl) the ensure the broth is clear and free of impurities. Discard the Salmon bones and vegetables, or give the fish to your cat.
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In a frying pan, melt butter and sauté the leeks until they soften. Set aside.
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Return fish stock to the pot and add the chopped potatoes, sautéed leeks, 2 sliced carrots and bay leafs. Cook for about 10 minutes, or until the potatoes are soft.
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Add the boneless Salmon pieces, which should be cut in approx 2" cubed pieces. If the pieces are cut too small and thin, they will fall apart. Cook for about 10 minutes. Add whipping cream and stir.
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Add chopped dill, season with salt and pepper according to taste. This recipe loves black pepper.
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Garnish with chopped green onion or parsley.
Recipe Notes
Optional - can add 2 celery sticks when cooking the fish stock, as its a taste people like in soups but wasn't in the original fish soups. For additional depth, can add Vegeta Seafood Stock powder for seasoning. If you don't have leek, use a finely chopped small onion. You can also thicken this soup with cornstarch and water for a thicker consistency. I suggest 3-4 tablespoons of cornstarch mixed with 5 tablespoons of water, then added to pot.
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I started this website as a way to capture the recipes that I grew up with, and pass them onto the next generation. Being world travellers, there are foods from all over the world, but my passion is primarily the Russian foods I grew up with. 
This is a great soup. When I fish for salmon, I always beg the heads and carcasses from other fisherman who always throw them away… I especially like the guys who are careless with filleting and leave a lot of meat near the spine.
The soup is beyond excellent on a cold wet fall day or in the winter. I do one thing that is not in the recipe. After separating the carcass and heads from the broth, I let them cool and search for meat still attached to the bones. There is a surprising amount of meat on a salmon head.
Anyway, thank you for the delicious recipe. it is a treat for us.
Great tip! Thanks for sharing! 😊
I once made a soup of fish heads and it was bitter. Is there something in the heads that has to cpme out, like gills, before you cook it? Can all pieces of fish be put in to cook? Like fins and tail?
Hi Diana! Great question. I have always simply used the whole head, gills and all into the broth, everything goes in! Sometimes fish can be bitter if when cleaning it, if you cut the gall bladder or liver, it can make the fish bitter, so try to avoid that. Hope this helps! 🙂
Thanks for sharing! I can’t wait to try this recipe. I tried this soup in Helsinki (beyond awesome, especially since I was tired and cold after walking quite a bit) and St Petersburg (not as good but it was a fast-food place, so I was surprised that it was still yummy — Teremok). I wish we had Teremok in the United States — pelmeni, blini, ukha… Yum! I would be there every day! 🙂
Haha, I had this soup at Teremok as well in St Petes too! Perfect on a cold day, but definitely not as tasty as a homemade version! I would kill for a local Teremok as well! Enjoy! 🙂