Lola Rugula

We recently had a dip of temperatures into the 60’s, which is pretty cool for September here, so of course, my mind immediately turned to soup. This is a pretty easy recipe; even easier if you have leftover roasted or pan-fried salmon, in which case you can skip the beginning portion of this and go right to the soup-making part.

I love the creaminess of this soup and, if you’re looking for a dairy-free recipe, swap out the heavy cream for coconut milk, which is just as delicious in this. There’s actually a number of substitutions you can make with this recipe, which I’ll highlight for you at the end. If you’ve followed me for a while, then you know I like to make things with what I have on hand so my recipes are often changed by what I have in my fridge and pantry.

If you like seafood bisques, this one’s a keeper and you might also enjoy my lobster bisque recipe as well.

Creamy Salmon Bisque Recipe

Ingredients

• 1 lb. salmon, skin on or removed
• Salt and pepper
• 1 Tbsp. grapeseed or olive oil
• 2 carrots, diced (about 1 cup)
• 2 celery ribs, diced (about 1 cup)
• 1/2 of a white or yellow onion, diced (about 1/2 cup)
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 1/2 cups vegetable stock
• 1/2 cup tomato sauce
• 1 small bay leaf
• 1 pinch smoked paprika
• 1/4 cup brandy
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 1 tsp. fresh, chopped dill, plus a few small fronds for serving

Directions

• Heat a stockpot over medium heat.
• Add oil and heat until it starts to shimmer, about 1 minute.
• Season salmon with salt and pepper.
• If using salmon with skin, carefully place skin side down in hot oil (if not using salmon with skin, you can start with either side).
• Cook for 3-4 minutes.
• Using a spatula, slide it in between the salmon and skin; they should easily separate. Move the salmon temporarily to a plate, scrape up the skin with the spatula and discard.
• Return salmon to pan, uncooked side down, and cook for another 3-4 minutes.
• Transfer salmon back to plate (it will likely not be fully cooked at this point)
• Drain off all but 1 Tbsp. of the oil and salmon drippings.
• Place pan with the remaining oil back on the heat and bring back to a shimmer.
• Add carrots, celery, and onion and saute for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
• Add garlic and cook 2 minutes more, stirring occasionally.
• Add vegetable stock, tomato sauce, bay leaf, smoked paprika, brandy, and about 1/2 teaspoon salt and black pepper.
• Bring to a boil, then reduce to a steady simmer.
• Add salmon and any remaining juices on plate to the pot, breaking the salmon up into pieces as you go.
• Partially cover pan and simmer about 50 minutes.
• Remove from heat and let rest for 15 minutes.
• Remove bay leaf and discard.
• Using an immersion blender (or food processor) blend for about 5 minutes.
• Heat blended bisque back to a simmer, stir in heavy cream, and simmer for 5 minutes.
• Remove from heat and stir in chopped dill.
• Serve with extra dill on top.

I love that this is packed with veggies plus the healthy omega-3 and protein benefits of salmon. As I pointed out at the beginning of my post, you can swap out the heavy cream for coconut milk if you’re looking for a dairy-free recipe or one that’s a little healthier even. As I always like to say, don’t be afraid to play with your food.

Here are a few other substitutions you can make:

• If you don’t have tomato sauce, add a tablespoon of tomato paste
• If you don’t have veggie stock, you can sub in chicken stock instead.
• Sherry will work instead of brandy, and I’ve used a dry white wine here as well.
• If you’d like to omit the alcohol altogether, just add more stock to replace it.
• Fresh basil instead of dill is also really lovely with this.

And there you have it! A luscious salmon bisque with a variety of options to make it with. Enjoy!