Nordic fish soup
June 29, 2026 · 2 min read
Fiskesuppe, Norwegian fish soup, is one of the simplest ways to get fish on the table mid-week — a creamy, gently spiced pot that comes together in half an hour and uses whatever fish is good or affordable. Eating fish a few times a week is one of the habits that most defines the Nordic pattern, and a soup like this makes it effortless.
The one thing to watch is the heat: once the cream goes in, keep it at a bare simmer so the fish stays tender and the soup doesn't split.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 leek, sliced
- 2 carrots, diced
- 1 small fennel bulb or 2 celery stalks, diced
- 4 cups fish or vegetable stock
- 1 cup cream or whole milk
- 1/2 lb salmon, cut in chunks
- 1/2 lb cod or other white fish, cut in chunks
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- Juice of 1/2 lemon
- Small bunch fresh dill, chopped
- Salt and pepper
Steps
- Melt the butter in a pot and soften the leek, carrot, and fennel for 6–7 minutes.
- Pour in the stock and bring to a gentle simmer. Cook until the carrots are just tender, about 8 minutes.
- Stir in the cream and mustard and bring back to a bare simmer (don't let it boil hard).
- Add the salmon and cod and poach gently for 4–5 minutes, until the fish is just cooked and flakes.
- Off the heat, stir in the lemon juice and most of the dill. Season, and serve topped with the rest of the dill.
Notes and swaps
A mix of fatty fish (salmon) and lean fish (cod) gives the best texture and flavor, but use one or the other if that's what you have — frozen fillets are fine and cheap. Add a handful of shrimp or mussels at the end to round it out. For a lighter pot, use whole milk instead of cream and thicken with a little extra root vegetable. Serve with rye bread for a full meal, as in the Nordic meal ideas.
Tell Nordic Diet Companion "a bowl of fish soup with salmon and cod" and it reflects how your fish habit is tracking against the Nordic pattern.