Norwegian-Style Fish Soup with Dill or Parsley
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 6–8 as a starter or 4 as a main
Ingredients
2 tbsp butter
1 onion, finely chopped
2 carrots, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 leek, white part only, sliced
2 tbsp flour
1 litre (4 cups) fish stock
250 ml (1 cup) cream or half-and-half
400 g (14 oz) firm white fish (cod, haddock, or pollock), cut into chunks
200 g (7 oz) shrimp, peeled
2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
Juice of ½ lemon
2 tbsp fresh dill, chopped (plus extra for garnish)
Salt and black pepper, to taste
Method
Start the base: Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, and leek; sauté until softened but not browned.
Build the broth: Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the fish stock until smooth. Add the potatoes and simmer 10–12 minutes, until tender.
Add the cream and fish: Stir in the cream. Add the fish chunks and cook gently 5–6 minutes, until just opaque. Add the shrimp and cook 1–2 minutes more.
Finish and serve: Stir in the lemon juice and dill or parsley. Season with salt and black pepper. Ladle into bowls, garnish with extra dill, and serve with dark rye bread.
Variations
West Coast Salmon & Chive – Replace white fish with salmon and skip the shrimp. Add 1 tsp lemon zest with the cream, fold in 2 tbsp chopped chives with the dill, and finish with a squeeze of lemon.
Smoked Haddock & Peas – Swap half the white fish for smoked haddock. Poach the smoked fish gently in 1 cup milk, strain, and use that milk in place of some stock. Stir in 1 cup peas for the last 2–3 minutes. Taste before salting.
Corn, Bacon & Dill – Render 4 slices diced bacon first; use the bacon fat to sauté the vegetables and keep the crisped bacon for topping. Add 1 cup corn kernels with the potatoes. Finish with dill and a dash of apple cider vinegar.
Tomato-Fennel & Saffron – Replace celery with 1 small fennel bulb (diced). Add 1 tbsp tomato paste and a pinch of saffron with the flour; cook briefly before adding stock. Finish with fennel fronds, dill, and a drizzle of olive oil.
Creamless Light Broth – Omit cream and increase stock by 1 cup. Add a splash of dry white wine after the flour and simmer to reduce before adding stock. Finish with extra lemon, dill, and a spoon of good olive oil.