This is a simple salmon soup that uses salmon bodies to make a quick broth, then meat picked off the bones for the soup itself. Any salmon, trout or char works well here. I like this soup with crusty rye bread.
Head and bones from a large salmon, about 3 pounds of bones and meat
2carrots, chopped small
1small onion, chopped small
Stems from a bunch of parsley, chopped
Stems from a bunch of dill, chopped
Stems from a bunch of lovage, chopped(optional)
2bay leaves
2cupswhey(optional)
1quartwater
Salt
SOUP
2tablespoonsbutter
1small onion, sliced thin
1poundsmall potatoes(or rutabagas, peeled and cut into chunks)
1poundsalmon meat
1/2cupmixed chopped fresh herbs, like parsely, dill and lovage
1/2 cupheavy cream
2egg yolks, lightly beaten
black pepper to taste
Instructions
Bring all the broth ingredients to a boil in a large pot. Drop the heat below a simmer and let this cook gently for 30 to 45 minutes. Strain and keep warm. Pick off salmon meat and reserve.
In a soup pot, heat the butter over medium-high heat and cook the sliced onion until wilted and transparent, but not browned.
Pour in the broth and potatoes, bring to a simmer and add salt to taste. Simmer gently until the potatoes are tender.
Add the salmon, either picked from the bones or freshly diced, plus the herbs and heavy cream. Let this simmer 5 minutes.
With a ladle in one hand and a whisk or fork in the other, slowly ladle some hot broth into the egg yolks, all the while whisking the egg yolks. You want to temper them so the yolks won't curdle in the soup. Whisk in another ladle, then one more. Pour this into the soup, stir well and turn the heat as low as it will go. Let this warm up a minute or three, then serve at once.
Notes
You can skip the egg yolk step, but it makes the salmon soup a lot richer.