Finnish-Style Fish Soup with Cream: Classic Recipe

Prepare all the ingredients for the classic Finnish cream fish soup recipe. I almost always use full-fat cream, 30%, because I like the rich creamy taste of the soup. Leeks can of course be replaced with regular onions, but leeks give this dish a more noble taste, while regular onions are simpler. Garlic is a controversial ingredient, but comparing it with my homemade soup, it seemed that it tasted better with garlic. I use a large clove of garlic, or even two.

Cut the trout into several large pieces. My fish is already gutted, cleaned, and washed, so I didn't have to do anything extra. If your fish has a head, it can also be used, just be sure to remove the gills. If your fish has scales, they need to be removed. By the way, they come off very easily and quickly.

Bring 1 liter of water to a boil, add salt, aromatic pepper, and place the fish pieces in it. Since my trout is small, I cooked it for only about 7-8 minutes after the water boiled again. After this time, the fish was cooked and easily came off the bone.

While the fish is boiling, prepare the rest of the ingredients. Peel and mince the garlic. Rinse and thinly slice the leeks, and wash and finely chop the dill. By the way, any part of the leek except for the top green stems will work, as they are already thin and dry. But the beginning of the green stem is always thick, juicy, and perfect for our fish soup.

Peel and chop the potatoes and carrots. For the soup, I prefer to slice the carrots into thin half-moons, rather than grating them. But it's not essential. Cut the potatoes into small cubes.

In melted butter, sauté the chopped carrots and sliced leeks for a few minutes. You can replace the clarified butter with butter, olive oil, or vegetable oil.

Meanwhile, the fish is already cooked. Place a sieve or colander over a bowl and drain the fish together with the broth. Set the fish aside to cool slightly.

Return the broth to the pot and add the potatoes and the onion-carrot sauté. Bring it all to a boil and cook for about 7-10 minutes until the potatoes are cooked through.

Remove the skin from the slightly cooled fish and separate it from the bones. Break the fillet into small pieces, do not chop too finely.

Cut the chili pepper into small pieces. I always buy a lot of this pepper during the season and just freeze it. Very convenient: bought it cheaply, and pepper is always at hand throughout the year. I use about a third of the pod in the soup. I don't remove the seeds. This ingredient is strictly a matter of taste and preference.

Add cream and pieces of trout to the Finnish fish soup and bring to a boil.

After that, immediately add a little salt and black pepper, garlic, dill, and chili pepper. Simmer everything over low heat for 2 minutes and turn off. Let the soup sit for about 10 minutes to blend all the flavors.

That's it, our Finnish fish soup with cream from trout is ready! It does not require any additional additions. Pour it into bowls and invite everyone to the table. Enjoy your meal!