Bergensk fiskesuppe (Bergen fish soup)
45 min · 39 g protein · 344 cals / serving
The creamy fish soup of Norway's west coast: a velvety broth full of fine strips of carrot, celeriac and leek, chunks of cod and a handful of prawns, sharpened with a splash of vinegar and a pinch of sugar the way Bergen likes it. A spoon of sour cream at the end gives the richness without a carton of cream.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp butter
- 3 medium carrots, in thin matchsticks
- 1/4 celeriac, in thin matchsticks
- 1 medium leek, in thin strips
- 3 tbsp all-purpose flour (bleached), plain flour
- 5 cups fish stock
- 1 1/4 cups 2% milk
- 3/4 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1 lb raw cod, cod or saithe fillet, skinless, in 3 cm (1 1/4-inch) pieces
- 5 oz boiled prawns, cooked peeled prawns
- 2 tsp white vinegar
- 1 tsp granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup light sour cream, lettrømme
To serve
- 3 tbsp chopped fresh chives
Steps
- Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the carrot, celeriac and leek and cook, stirring, for 4 minutes until they start to soften; they should not brown.
- Sprinkle over the flour and stir for a minute, then pour in the fish stock a little at a time, whisking, so it thickens without lumps. Simmer for 5 minutes.
- Add the milk, salt and white pepper and bring back to a gentle simmer.
- Lower in the fish and let it poach at a bare simmer for 4–5 minutes, until it is opaque and flakes (145°F).
- Stir in the prawns, vinegar and sugar and warm through for a minute. Take the pot off the heat and stir in the sour cream. Taste: it should be gently sweet-sour; add a few more drops of vinegar if it needs lifting. Serve with chives on top.
Good to know
Can I add fish balls?
Yes, Norwegian fiskeboller are traditional in Bergen. Slice a few into the soup with the prawns; they only need warming.
Which fish works?
Any firm white fish: cod, saithe (sei), haddock or pollock. A little salmon with the white fish is common too and makes it richer.
Why vinegar and sugar?
That small sweet-sour note is what makes it taste of Bergen rather than of a generic chowder. Add both at the end, little by little, and stop when the broth tastes bright rather than sour.
Per
- Calories
- 53
- Protein
- (46%)
- 6 g
- Fat
- (27%)
- 2 g
- Carbohydrates
- (27%)
- 4 g
- of which sugar
- 2 g
- Fiber
- 1 g
- Sodium
- 199 mg
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Computed from the ingredients with our published formula, not yet kitchen-tested. General guidance, not medical advice. Talk to your prescriber. How
As written, 1377 kcal goes into the pot and 2797 g of ingredients comes out as about 2600 g of food: 53 kcal per 100 g. Cooking moves water and energy density is the score's biggest lever, so the dish is scored as cooked, not as an average of its parts. Every ingredient links to its food page, with the same data and score. The label's percentages are each macronutrient's share of the calories. The full formula.