Getting nippy here (closer to 0°C/32°F)... time for some more Autumnly dishes:
- Vegan lasagna with Béchamel sauce, spinach, fried Beyond Meat mince, and walnuts
- "Finnish style" salmon soup (recipe below)
- Mushroom barley soup (picked this up from my better half who hails from the East Coast, CT/NYC)
- Maybe some nice and super hot Malaysian style curry
Clear Finnish Salmon Soup (with a twist)
Just your generic Finnish-style salmon soup with a few twists.
This recipe makes for six(?) very generous portions.
Cooking time is about 60-90 minutes when starting from scratch.
INGREDIENTS
- 1kg or so of semi-firm/starchy potatoes
- Atlantic salmon fillet (500-750 grams or more > to your liking). Fresh. Usually like the tail end for sashimi (more flavor and tighter flesh) but for soups, you need larger pieces so buy from the head end.
- Virgin rapeseed oil or good-quality virgin olive oil
- Dashi (I use Ajinomoto powdered dashi)
- Himalayan salt (the pink kind)
- For a bit of acidity: Champagne vinegar or lemon juice
Optional ingredients:
- 500 grams of fresh blue mussels in shells or the equivalent precooked and frozen (around 200 grams)
- Prawns or any other seafood
- Stock herb or vegetable “cubes”, one or so per liter of water > be mindful of the salt content in these!
Note: The measurements here are approximations. I usually just eyeball or measure things by hand, with taste and proportions being the more important things to look for.
EQUIPMENT
- One stainless steel stock pot of around 5-6 liters
- Frying pan of decent size
- Sharp kitchen knife of your liking
- Potato peeler (Kyocera ceramic blade ones are amazing!)
COOKING INSTRUCTIONS
1) Onions & garlic
With everything set and ready and the cooking area cleaned I usually start by cleaning the onion, cutting it into two halves, and dicing the halves into around 4x4mm pieces.
2) Potatoes
I prefer medium to large ones (of similar size and shape). I do not bother washing them unless they are excessively dirty, just a quick rinse and off to be peeled they go.
After peeling I cut them first into three slices (keep the center slab around 1cm thick and the sides about the same). The center I cut in half lengthwise and then slice the pieces so that they are of similar volume. Then I cut the sides also lengthwise into two and the same keeping the volume of the pieces about the same as the ones from the center.
The purpose is to make pieces that cook fast and at a similar rate and fit easily into a regular spoon with other stuff (carrots, onion, occasional mussle or two) and soup.
3) Carrots
Peel and cut the carrots into julienne/matchsticks and slice these into suitable, uniform-length bits. I usually cheat using a Triangle julienne slicer which does 3mm julienne. So... 3 x 3 x 6 mm? Once again, things that easily fit a spoon.
4) Make ‘em sweat!
Once the main ingredients that go into the soup have been prepped I start by sweating the onions. The cut onion goes into the cooking pot with some oil to soften and brown a bit on medium heat. After the onions have cooked some (5-10 minutes) you can add grated garlic to the mix and turn the heat down a bit.
5) Soup base: liquids and spice (makes things nice)
After a few more minutes of the onion & garlic mix simmering add 1,5-2 liter of water into the pot. The onions should be nice and mellow by now. Add dashi, dried parsley and salt to taste, usually around a tablespoon, tablespoon, and two pinches. And no, I do not measure that stuff other than the salt. If you are using the cubes now would be the time to add those too.
6) Cooking the soup base ingredients
As soon as the water has reached a rolling boil, add the potatoes and the carrots. Let them cook until tender (20-25min?). It all depends on the potatoes and the size of the pieces. Check for doneness...
7) Prep the fish
Now that the soup base and ingredients are cooking in the pot it is time to prep the fish. What you need is a deskinned and deboned filet. After you have that pat the cleaned filet dry and clean on both sides using some kitchen roll. Slice into largeish uniform volume pieces. I usually start with the head end by cutting 2,5 to 2 cm cubes (or so). Adjust when going towards the tail. These pieces should fit into a regular table spoon just on their own.
Salt the pieces of the fish lightly and let them sit for a bit.
8) Fry the fish
When the vegetables are done lower the heat on the pot to simmer and fire up the frying pan with some oil on it. Cook the salmon in batches on a very hot pan with some additional salt.
Try to get the pieces seared all around but not cooked through, the idea being to enhance the flavor by searing but leaving the pieces raw on the inside. Once seared remove from the pan and leave on a plate on the side to withdraw a bit until all of the salmon is done.
9) Optional ingredients...
Once the fish is seared add the fresh and cleaned mussels to the pot (or the frozen ones). You can use other bivalves of your liking instead of blue mussels are hard to come by (or skip them entirely). Simmer for a bit.
10) Do the dill
Prep the dill if fresh. I usually remove the thicker ends of the stems and mince the rest finely. The dried stuff is ok too, you just need to add more of it.
11) Pre-serve instructions
Once everything else is ready and the food is about to be served turn the heat up a bit and add the salmon to the pot a minute or so before serving. That will make sure that the salmon does not overcook but instead, if done right, remains nice and pink inside with a flavorful crust protecting it. You can also drip in the grease from the frying pan for some added flavor.
12) Final touches
Add most of the dill just before serving.
Mix everything else together carefully (you don't want to mush the now-cooked potatoes or the salmon).
If you feel like the soup could use some subtle acidity add a bit of champagne vinegar or lemon juice to the soup (careful with that though).
Add the last of the dill on top just before serving.
13) Serve and enjoy
With Finnish rye bread & spread (not optional for me).