I published this recipe once many years ago, and haven’t made it in a long time. But Anya’s salmon soup is the perfect choice for this time of year, and I have all the ingredients I need to make some this week! It’s a beautiful color, exactly right for adding some brightness to your life as you start settling into the deepest part of winter. Also, the combination of ingredients is exactly right for bracing yourself for the coming Arctic temperatures.
This recipe was originally sent to me by a friend, Esther, whose parents immigrated to the U.S. from Russia many, many years ago. All of which is simply to say that Esther knows an authentic salmon soup recipe when she tastes one. As I reported the first time I posted this recipe, I had to do a little tweaking because the recipe is so authentic that the original quantities were conveyed only as rough estimates. But don’t worry; I have it on very good authority that this soup is delicious!
6 cups vegetable broth or water
3 medium-sized Yukon Gold potatoes (washed, peeled, diced)
1 large, sweet Vidalia onion, diced (peeled, diced)
3 carrots (washed, peeled, diced)
1/2 pound salmon filet
3/4 cup Greek yogurt, plain (dairy or vegan)
salt and white pepper to taste
fresh dill to garnish
- Heat 6 cups of vegetable broth (or water) on medium-high heat, and add potatoes, carrots, onions, salt and pepper. Once the water begins to boil, cook 10-12 minutes until the vegetables are softening.
- Add the salmon filet and cook 3-5 minutes until the salmon turns pale pink. Use a fork to gently flake apart the fish while it cooks.
- Taste and adjust seasonings. Turn off heat, cover, and leave soup to sit on the stove for 30 minutes, allowing flavors to blend.
- Rewarm on low-medium heat for 5 minutes, and ladle into bowls. Serve with a bowl of yogurt and a bowl of fresh dill, and allow your guests to add a heaping spoonful of yogurt and/or dill to their bowl, as desired. Serves 4-8, depending on whether it’s the first course or centerpiece of your beautiful meal.
Eager to make this!
Knowing your spectacular gifts in the kitchen, I have a feeling you’re going to like it very much! R
Dear Dr. Sukol,
I was recently at your lecture at the J. The juxtaposition of your class, the NYT series and the New Yorker article opened my eyes even wider than before. We keep a kosher home, so I thought since I cook primarily from scratch, I don’t have much to worry about. We eat very little meat, very little “white” products, but do eat dairy meals. I am going to try to limit dairy as well and continue to concentrate on fruit, vegetables, whole grains and olive oil. (My husband lost 40 pounds since I met him seven years ago, mostly due to my healthier lifestyle than his habit of most meals eaten in restaurants.)
I’m spending even MORE time reading labels, and putting things back on the shelf at the grocery store.
Thanks for your lecture and blog!!
Dear Rachel: That is such a wonderful story! I’m so glad you were there to hear the lecture, and then to find the NY Times and New Yorker articles the same week! I received a Washington Post article last week on ultraprocessed items, too. An issue whose time has come… See if you can find Michael Ruhlman’s book entitled GROCERY at the library. He does a nice job describing my perspective on “supermarketing.” I just made that word up. lol But seriously, it’s all about quality, as you are discovering. And the discovery is a journey, too, as you are also finding. In case your husband doesn’t realize, I would like to say, for the record, that your husband is quite a lucky man. In all likelihood you have bought yourselves more years of health together, and possibly more resources with which to enjoy those years. Be well, RBS (P.S. Don’t forget about legumes — we had chickpea pasta with dinner last night and it was delicious.)
And we had a chick pea and cauliflower curry-ish with brown rice pilaf, and salad dressed with lemon an EVOO. Also delish!!
How did I miss this? That sounds great!!