Dairy Free Icelandic Fish Soup (Minnesota Style – with walleye)
This Dairy Free Icelandic Fish Soup is made Minnesota Style with the addition of walleye. The walleye is perfectly poached in a creamy vegetable-based broth.
Matt and I love to travel. And, lucky for us, our kids (Jack and Will) do too! I always dreamed of traveling the world with my kids some day and I feel so lucky that that dream became a reality!
our trip to iceland
Our most recent trip was to Iceland. Matt and I really wanted to take the boys there, but we wanted to wait until they were old enough to do all of the amazing hikes. Well, the stars aligned because we got roundtrip tickets from MSP to Reykjavík for $420 and Jack and Will were the perfect ages (8 and 11).
If you love to travel but don’t love the price of travel (read: airline tickets), I HIGHLY suggest you check out this website. We have booked so many flights through Going (at extremely discounted prices), which has allowed us to travel more.
the best flight deals around
Going sends you 2-3 emails a week, with incredible flight deals. The links take you to Google Flights, where you are able to see dates and prices. Ultimately, you book your flight directly through the airline, making it easy to get frequent flier miles and change flights, if need be.
Iceland was everything (and more!) than what we were expecting. We would literally drive 10 minutes and go from a barren lava field to lush mountains with glaciers on the top – it was unreal!
We were lucky enough to have 10 days to travel throughout Iceland. Although we knew it would be a lot of driving, we decided to do the Ring Road and traverse the entire island. And, let me tell you, it was epic! Every 15 minutes of driving, we would be treated to a new and beautiful sight.
We had the incredible opportunity to take Jack and Will whitewater rafting! They had never been before, so Matt and I were extra excited to experience this with them. Not only did we have some epic rapids that we got to shoot down, but Jack got to ride the rapids down on the front of the boat and Matt, Will and I got to jump off a 20-foot cliff. It was a truly epic experience!
iceland cuisine
One of the (many) things that I love about traveling is trying the local cuisine. I love to see how different places utilize local ingredients to create their unique dishes. It is always fun for me to come home and try to recreate some of our favorite recipes. Plus, lucky for me, I know a few taste testers who are more than happy to lend their comments and critiques!
Dairy Free Icelandic Fish Soup Ingredients:
- walleye
- vegetable stock
- yellow onion
- leek
- celery
- red wine (I like to use red cooking wine)
- tomato paste
- curry powder
- red wine vinegar
- heavy cream
- butter
- olive oil
- salt & pepper
Do I have to use walleye?
No, you don’t have to use walleye – you have tons of options! In a traditional Icelandic Fish Soup, you will typically find artic char (similar to salmon) or cod. You could use various types of fish (typically a firmer white fish) and experiment to see which one you like best. Shrimp would work as a good alternative, as well.
Although, I would highly recommend that you give the walleye a try, as it is Dairy-Free Icelandic Fish Soup (Minnesota style – with walleye).
If you aren’t really a seafood person, don’t fret; chicken would also work in this recipe. If you are using chicken, just make sure you adjust your cooking time so that the chicken is cooked all the way through (about 30 minutes if you are using boneless skinless chicken breasts).
love soup? check out these other recipes
why dairy-free icelandic fish soup?
The short answer: I have a dairy sensitivity, and I don’t want to make 2 different soups for our family! The long answer: dairy hits a little differently in Europe. I don’t know what it is, but I had no problems with dairy when we were in Iceland (and in other parts of Europe). I was able to eat Icelandic Fish Soup (containing dairy) and had no problems! Here, not so much. So, dairy-free it is.
Dairy Free Icelandic Fish Soup (Minnesota Style – with Walleye)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp butter I like to use Country Crock Plant Butter (dairy free)
- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1 cup sliced leek only use white part
- 1½ cups diced yellow onion use a medium-sized onion
- ½ cup diced celery about 3 stalks
- ¾ cup tomato paste
- 1 tsp curry powder
- 2 tsp salt
- ½ cup red wine or red cooking wine
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1½ pounds walleye cut into 2-inch pieces
- ¾ cup heavy whipping cream I like to use Country Crock Plant Cream
For Serving:
- heavy whipping cream
- microgreens
Instructions
- Melt butter and olive oil in a Dutch Oven over medium heat.2 Tbsp butter, 2 Tbsp olive oil
- Add leeks, onion and celery. Sauté for 5-6 minutes (or until tender).1 cup sliced leek, 1½ cups diced yellow onion, ½ cup diced celery
- Stir in tomato paste, curry powder and salt; let cook for 1 minute.¾ cup tomato paste, 1 tsp curry powder, 2 tsp salt
- Add wine and deglaze the pan. Cook for 2 minutes.½ cup red wine
- Pour in the vegetable stock and the red wine vinegar; bring to a simmer.4 cups vegetable broth, 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
- Using your immersion blender, puree the soup until smooth.
- Add in the walleye and simmer until the fish is cooked through and easily flakes apart, about 7-9 minutes.1½ pounds walleye
- Slowly add in the heavy whipping cream and stir to combine.¾ cup heavy whipping cream
- Ladle into bowls and drizzle with heavy whipping cream and garnish with mircogreens.heavy whipping cream, microgreens
