This warming, comforting soup combines smoky and warm spices and tomato paste to create a flavorful and rich broth. It gets naturally thickened by blending up part of the soup – no dairy needed! Salmon chunks get added at the end and gently simmered until just cooked through. Serve it with oyster crackers, crusty bread, or simply top with black pepper and herbs.
Ingredient Highlight
Salmon! the fish we all love because it’s flaky, fatty and a lot harder to overcook/mess up than other fish. It also happens to be packed with more nutrients than I have space to talk about here. It’s one of the most nutritious fish because of it’s super high omega-3 fat content (DHA and EPA). It’s also a great source of protein, potassium, selenium, and vitamin B12.
Servings 4 People
Prep Time 15 minutes 
Cook Time 30 minutes Ingredients
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 yellow onion chopped
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
- 2 celery stalks chopped
- 1 ½ tsp kosher salt divided
- 3 cloves garlic chopped
- 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp dried thyme
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 2 potatoes, chopped about 2 cups
- 3 cups cauliflower florets
- 8 cups water
- ½ cup jasmine white rice
- 2 tbsp dijon mustard
- 2 tbsp soy sauce or tamari
- 4 cups chopped kale
- 1 lb wild salmon, skin and bones removed, cut into chunks
- Black pepper
- Fresh herbs (scallions, cilantro, parsley)(optional)
- Oyster crackers optional
- If you want to skip the rice, just add an extra 1 cup of chopped potato. Rice will make it thicker/more like a stew.
- Or use spinach or frozen spinach.
- Note: if making ahead or intending to have leftovers, it’s best to remove the salmon from the soup after it’s cooked through and store it separately so that it doesn’t get overcooked when reheated. Just add them to hot soup and it should warm them through enough.
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium heat, add the oil, onion, carrots, celery, and ½ teaspoon salt. Cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, or until softened.
- Stir in the garlic, paprika, cumin, thyme, and tomato paste. Cook, stirring often, for 1 minute.
- Stir in the potatoes, cauliflower, water, rice (if using), mustard, soy sauce, and remaining 1 teaspoon salt. Increase the heat to high to bring to a boil. Give it a stir, then reduce the heat to medium to keep it at a rapid simmer for 20 minutes, stirring halfway through, or until potatoes and rice are cooked through.
- Transfer about 3 cups of the soup (try to get lots of potato/cauliflower/rice and enough liquid to blend easily – this will help thicken up the soup) to a high-speed blender and blend until smooth (making sure to let the steam escape). Stir it back into the soup.
- Stir in the kale and place salmon chunks on top of the soup. Bring to a gentle simmer, then cover with a lid and simmer for 3-5 minutes, or until the salmon is cooked through.
- Keep the salmon in chunks or flake them up into the soup. Serve topped with black pepper, fresh herbs (if using) and saltine crackers (if using).
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Chop 1 yellow onion
- Peel and chop 2 carrots
- Chop 2 celery stalks
- Chop 2 cloves garlic
- Chop 2-3 potatoes (2-3 cups worth, depending on if you’re using rice)
- Chop 3 cups worth cauliflower florets
- Chop 4 cups kale
Substitutions:
- To make vegan/vegetarian, substitute cubed tofu or 1-2 (15 oz) cans of beans (rinsed and drained)
- Easily substitute shrimp or another fish (like cod) for the salmon.
Storage:
-
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer:
- Leftover soup will keep in the fridge for up to 4 days or freeze for up to 2 months.
- Remove cooked salmon chunks from the soup and store in the fridge separately. Salmon should be eaten within 3 days.
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- Warm up the soup in the microwave or on the stove. Add salmon chunks (you can flake them up into smaller pieces so they get warmed through from the soup). Top with a squeeze of lemon and fresh herbs.
- Serve with crusty bread or saltine crackers.
- Top with a fried egg
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