I posted this recipe once a long time ago, but it’s such an elegant recipe that I wanted to share it again for all my readers who had not yet seen it. Not only is it a warm and beautiful color, perfect for the cold weather, but it is also a wonderful addition to the menu for friends whose celebrations include the custom of eating many different kinds of fish on Christmas Eve.

My friend Esther, whose own mother, Anya, served as the source for this recipe, said that this soup is so delicious she slurps it up! Esther, the daughter of Russian immigrants, knows an authentic salmon soup recipe when she tastes one.

Upon receipt of this recipe years ago, I had to make just a few little tweaks. Its authenticity was apparent; the original quantities were conveyed only as rough estimates. It put me in mind of my mother’s description of my great-grandmother’s recipes: “Toss in a bit of salt,” or “Scoop out a mug of flour,” to which my then teenaged mother would cry, “Which mug, grandma?”  

6 cups vegetable broth or water
3 medium-sized Yukon Gold potatoes (washed, peeled, diced)
1 large Vidalia onion, diced (peeled, diced)
3 carrots (washed, peeled, diced)
1/2 pound salmon filet
3/4 cup Greek yogurt, plain
salt and (white, if available) pepper to taste
fresh dill to garnish

Heat 6 cups of broth (or water) on medium-high heat. Add potatoes, carrots, onions, salt and pepper. Once the liquid begins to boil, cook 10-12 minutes until vegetables are softening. Add salmon filet and cook 3-5 minutes more until salmon turns light pink. Use a fork to gently flake apart the fish while it continues to cook, carefully removing the skin in its entirety.

Taste and adjust seasonings. Turn off heat, and leave soup covered for 30 minutes, allowing flavors to blend.

Rewarm on low-medium heat for 5 minutes, ladle into bowls, and stir a heaping spoonful of yogurt into each bowl, as desired. Sprinkle with dill and serve. Serves 8 as a first course, or 4 as the centerpiece of a beautiful meal.