When my daughter and I were in Norway back in March, I found out that one of the traditional dishes in Norway was fish soup. We were traveling a lot and didn’t have much time to be cooking, so didn’t get to make this until we got home, but fiskesuppe, which is how you say fish soup in Norwegian, is absolutely delicious. It is different from traditional American style fish chowder in that it is light and more broth based and has a delicate creamy flavor, instead of thick and chunky like an American one.
While some fiskesuppe recipes contain shellfish, they don’t all, and this one is shellfish free, which means you can use a cheaper white fish that you have available. I used pollack which I can buy quite cheaply locally, but you can use whichever type of white fish you want.
This recipe is gluten free (though you can use wheat flour if you want to make it glutenous and cheaper) and is naturally free of most other common allergens other than dairy and fish, though you can try to play around with it and make it with non dairy milks or coconut cream if you want it dairy free.
Ingredients
- 75 g butter (approximately half a stick)
- 1 large leek (white and green parts), sliced and well rinsed
- 4 medium carrots, thinly sliced
- 2 cups celeriac (celery root), diced small
- 1/3 cup celeriac greens, chopped
- 5 cups water, separated
- 2 tablespoons rice flour or wheat flour
- 2 cups cream (15% and/or 38% or a mix of the two)
- 800 grams (or 1 3/4 lbs) pollack (or other white fish), cut into chunks
- 1 tablespoon salt (or to taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice (or to taste)
- 1–2 teaspoons sugar (or to taste)
- Fresh dill, chopped
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large pot.
- Wash and chop up your leek, both the green and the white parts, and add it to the pot.
- Peel and chop your carrots and celeriac into small pieces. Chop up your celery root greens (stalk and leaves). Add it to the pot.
- Cook for 10–12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are softened.
- Pour in most of the water (set aside a cup) and bring to a simmer while covered, until the vegetables are almost as soft as you want them to be.
- Mix the flour with the remaining water and add to the pot. Mix well and cook a few minutes until it starts to thicken.
- Pour in the cream and heat gently. Do not bring to a strong boil.
- Cut up your fish to small chunks and add them to the soup. Add the fish chunks and simmer gently for 5–7 minutes, until just cooked and flaky.
- Add salt, pepper, lemon juice, and sugar. Taste it and adjust as necessary.
- Turn off the heat and stir in the fresh dill just before serving. Add as much as you like, depending on how much of a dill fan you are.
- Enjoy!
Are you a fan of fish? Soup? Ever have Norwegian fish soup? Does this soup seem like a type of recipe you’d enjoy?
