Salmon Noodle Soup for What Ails You
I don’t know about where you are, but everywhere I turn, someone is getting sick. I, knock on wood, have managed to avoid it so far but my poor not-so-little one has gotten some kind of fever inspiring crud twice now in the last month. I’m still not sure how I’ve avoided it… it must be all that lard.
Anyway, if you or someone you love is caught up with the aches and pains, you might try making this simple Salmon Noodle Soup for them. Or, even if everyone is feeling just fine, it’s a lovely spring kind of soup. Unlike most salmon soups which can be heavy with cream or Asian inspired, this soup is a simpler, lighter broth. Like chicken noodle soup, except a bit fishier. It’s super quick to make from scratch, even if you are making starting from the stock.
For the stock, see if you can find frozen fish scraps at your local fish shop. If you are in Seattle, head up to Central Market for a great selection of left over fish parts (or chicken, beef or pork for that matter) that are great for soups and will only set you back about a buck fifty. For my stock, I used onion, celery, thyme, garlic, peppercorns and a teensy bit of fresh ginger. I also threw in dried bonito flakes, as you would for dashi, although my fish stock remained very European tasting. You can of course, use any veggie and seasonings you like. Parsnips, fennel, parsley, carrots all make lovely additions. You don’t even need to chop them. Just throw them in the pot.
To make the stock, add your defrosted and rinsed fish parts, herbs and veggies to a large stockpot and add a good glug of olive oil and about 1/2 cup white wine. Heat on low for about 5 or 10 minutes until it gets nice and fragrant. Then, cover it all with water and simmer for 30 minutes. I like to strain the resulting broth through a couple of layers of cheese cloth to remove any left over bits, but any fine strainer will do. For this recipe, you’ll need about 4 cups of stock. The rest can be refrigerated or frozen for later use.
Salmon Noodle Soup
4 cups fish stock
2 carrots, small-dice
1 stalk of celery, small-dice
2-3 new potatoes, small-dice
1-2 fresh salmon fillets
3 scallions, chopped into small rounds
2 cups of pasta, cooked but not sauced
1 tablespoon fresh tarragon, chopped
olive oil
Salt and pepper
Heat the fish stock in a large soup pot.
In a medium skillet on medium-high, heat the olive oil and add the chopped carrots, celery and potatoes. Saute until the vegetables start to soften, about 3 minutes. Add a ladle of stock and cook for another minute as some of the stock is absorbed. Then, dump the whole concoction back into the rest of the broth, and bring to a simmer. Cook for 7-8 minutes.
Meanwhile, wipe out the skillet and heat it up again on medium-high heat. Brush the salmon fillets with a bit of olive oil, and place flat (skin) sides up in the hot skillet. Cook for 2 minutes. Then, flip the fillets over and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Remove the fillets from the pan and remove the skin. Break the salmon into bite sized pieces. It’s ok if it’s still a bit rare in the middle… it will cook more in the broth.
Add the salmon, scallions, tarragon and pasta to the broth. Add salt and pepper to taste, and simmer for another 5 minutes. Serve up as is, or for a little more indulgence, a small pat of butter.
what a delicious soup. It would be perfect for a wintry night like this. This recipe reminds me of Japanese soup, maybe because you mentioned the addition of bonita flakes…..
I just came back to take another look at the Lotus fries, and blimey, another post. A one woman blogging machine.
The soup look great – very spring like. Nice to see someone making their own stock.
I haven’t been to Central Market yet – that is up in Shoreline right? I normally get all my seafood from Mutual Fish, which is awesome (central is most likely cheaper though).
Did you daughter like the soup?
Yes, Central Market is great for getting the extra fish parts…all you have to do is ask. There is one in Shoreline and there is one in Mill Creek.
Soup looks wonderful. I should have had this while I was dragged down by the evil sick bug.
your photos are amazing! you’ve got a great eye. not to mention that some of that salmon noodle soup would really hit the spot right about now. lunch was ages ago!
that looks delicious and i love that in the second photo, you can see the steam coming from the soup. beautiful bowls you have too. thanks for sharing the recipe, seems like a very simple and delicate soup to make.
This looks delicious! Your food photography is just brilliant. I bet you could use any fish in this soup. I am not a huge salmon fan, but I like most flaky white fish. Thanks for the recipe.
Mmmm…lovely light flavours and inspirational photos to match.
I love salmon and this soup looks delicious! I really like that it’s a lighter soup, really focuses on the noodles and salmon. Gorgeous photos!
I love your bowls! They are simply beautiful. I’m sure the salmon soup would look delicious in any bowl, but in these it looks divine. i have been looking for new ways to work salmon into my diet; I will have to try this, yum!
Beautiful photos once again. Your blog is pure eye candy!
Wow, I have never had salmon in a soup before! How interesting. I love those bowls too, they really add to the soup!
I love light broth soups – it’s too easy to turn them too fishy but when they’re right they’re glorious.
Too many pounds on the scales is what ails me… I think your soup may be a remedy for that problem too!
That soup looks so yummy. I don’t think I’ll wait to be sick to make some. 🙂
This looks great, and very light and refreshing to boot. I’ll have to try it in the near future. There’s been something icky going around here too, so I’ll take all the help I can get!
This recipe was wonderful! My family loved it.
I finally made this last night, Lara, and it was as billed — simple, clean, comforting. I forget how well fish and tarragon go together. Thanks!