We had the most delicious - and naturally gluten-free - salmon soup when we visited my brother in Finland earlier this year. I just had to recreate it after returning home! I've made it several slightly different ways now, usually varying up the vegetable slightly, and it's just delicious. It's perfect on a chilly day. 

Yummy Finnish-style Salmon Soup served with some homemade gluten-free baguette.

Finnish-Style Salmon Soup

In a large pot over medium heat, cook 4-5 minutes: 

1/4 cup butter OR 2 Tbsp oil + 2 Tbsp butter

1/2 - 1 onion, diced OR 1-2 leeks, sliced & washed

2 - 3 carrots, peeled & sliced

Add and cook, stirring regularly ~5-7 minutes: 

700 g / 1.5 lbs potatoes, diced (peeled, if thick-skinned)

1 sweet potato, peeled & diced (optional - not traditionally used, but I am always looking for ways to add veggies)

My girls would tell you to just leave it as carrots and potatoes - but I did add a small sweet potato to this particular batch of salmon soup. 

Add and bring to a low boil, simmer ~8 minutes: 

3 - 4 cups water

1 tsp GF chicken bouillon (optional)

1 - 2 Tbsp freeze-dried dill OR 1 bunch fresh dill

1 tsp parsley (optional)

1 tsp salt

1 tsp pepper

Simmering - and smelling delicious with all that dill.

Add and return to boil: 

1 cup milk OR 10% cream OR heavy cream

If you'd like to thicken your salmon soup, you can - though this soup is a thinner, lighter soup naturally thickened slightly by the potatoes in the soup. It is not typically done, but if you'd like it a bit thicker, you can mix together in a small bowl the following, then stir into the soup: 

1/4 cup milk 

1-2 Tbsp cornstarch

Add and let simmer in the soup 10 min: 

3 - 4 salmon filets, diced (~1 lb / 500 g)

Simmering with the salmon filets. 

If desired, slice and serve alongside: 

1 lemon, cut into wedges

The soup is ready to serve! It's absolutely delicious with fresh gluten-free bread and butter. They had a neat egg butter in Finland, but I haven't quite made it to whipping that together yet. 

Yummm... look at that lovely salmon soup. I did not thicken this batch, so it's a lighter, thinner broth.

Finnish-Style Salmon Soup Recipe by Successfully Gluten Free!

Flavorful Homemade Seafood Chowder

Packed with flavor, this wonderful, easy, homemade seafood chowder continues to be a favorite around here.   The nice thing about this seafood chowder is that it's usually easy to find a nice white fish, some salmon, and some fresh shrimp to cook into the chowder.  Although, when in season, I do love my seafood chowder packed with fresh lobster, too!  I made this flavorful homemade seafood chowder for a book club luncheon one day, and we had ladies going back to get another bowl!  Enjoy! 

Delicious bowl of fresh seafood chowder, half eaten because it's too delicious to wait! 

Flavorful Homemade Seafood Chowder (Gluten Free)

Serves 8

Saute in a large pot over medium heat for 4-5 minutes:
1/3 cup butter
1/2 onion, diced
2-3 carrots, sliced
dash salt and pepper

Add, and saute, stirring regularly for 5-7 minutes: (lower the heat a bit, if you're finding it's browning/sticking to the bottom of your pan too much)
1.5 lbs potatoes, diced
3 stalks celery, sliced
1/2 - 3/4 cup diced fennel bulb (I LOVE the flavor this adds)
3-4 cloves garlic, minced OR 1/4 - 1/3 cup garlic scapes, sliced (if in season)

Add and cook an additional 1-2 minutes:
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2-3 tsp Old Bay Seasoning (adds spiciness, so use less if you prefer less bite)
3-5 dashes Tabasco sauce (can add extra, if you want more of a kick)
1/4 - 1/2 tsp dried oregano

I like to saute the vegetables for a longer period in the pan, then they can simmer for less time in order to really bring out the flavors and taste.  

Add, then simmer vegetable soup for ~7-8 minutes:
~3 cups water (just until top of veggies)
1 tsp lobster bouillon paste (this really adds a wonderful flavor to your chowder, but you can use a GF chicken bouillon or Asian mushroom seasoning, if needed)

Add to the pot, letting it start to simmer/bubble again while you mix the small bowl of cornstarch and liquids to thicken:
1 cup 10% cream OR whole milk (lactose-free works great)

Mix in a small bowl:
1/4 cup 10% cream OR whole milk
1/4 cup water
2-3 Tbsp cornstarch OR 1/4 cup Kristin's Gluten-Free Flour Mix

Once you've mixed the cornstarch together, you want to add it a little at a time to the bubbling soup.  Stirring and returning soup to a low boil to adjust thickness after you add each 1-2 Tbsp.  I prefer a less thick chowder, but cook and adjust, as you prefer.

Here's the chowder after being thickened a bit.  I prefer a just barely thickened creamy soup to the thick chowders sometimes served.  In this picture the soup is ready for seafood to be added. 

Once you've achieved the desire chowder thickness and returned your soup to a boil over medium-low to medium heat, add the following and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally:
2 fillets white fish (cod, haddock, or tilapia), cut in large bite-sized pieces
1-2 fillets salmon, cut in large bite-sized pieces
1-2 large handfuls of fresh shrimp (peeled, deveined, tails off), cut in half, if they're large

You can vary up the fish you use, as you prefer - scallops are great, too.  I like to use more mild-tasting fish, or they can overpower the other ones.

Taste test the soup at this point to adjust with salt and pepper, as desired.  The Old Bay Seasoning has quite a bit of salt, so I usually just add a dash of pepper.

This flavorful seafood chowder is wonderful served alongside garlic bread.  A few breads we enjoy eating as garlic bread are: a tasty Gluten Free French Bread-Style Bread, GF white bread, GF naan bread, and homemade GF sourdough bread. 

Gluten Free Homemade Seafood Chowder Recipe by Successfully Gluten Free!

The Best Homemade Seafood Chowder!

The wonderful thing about making seafood chowder at home is that you can use whatever fresh, local (or not-so-local) seafood that is in season.  The recipe here is for a delicious vegetable-packed chowder filled with lobster, scallops and haddock.  You can easily add shrimp, salmon, or other types of fish in addition to or as a substitute for these.  You can even add in mussels, too.  The pictures here are of a chowder I made while visiting Nova Scotia. It was filled with fresh, local scallops, lobsters, and haddock fillets.

Wonderfully delicious homemade seafood chowder, packed with lobster, haddock and scallops.  This version is packed with vegetables, too, and packed with flavor. 

The Best Homemade Seafood Chowder
Serves 6-8

Saute in a large pot over medium heat for 4-5 minutes:
1/3 cup butter
1/2 onion, diced
2-3 carrots, sliced
dash salt and pepper

Add, and saute, stirring regularly for 5-7 minutes:
1.5 lbs potatoes, diced
3 stalks celery, sliced
1/2 - 3/4 cups diced fennel bulb
3-4 cloves garlic, minced OR 1/4 - 1/3 cup garlic scapes, sliced (if in season)

Add and cook an additional 1-2 minutes:
1 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
2-3 tsp Old Bay Seasoning (adds spiciness, so use less if you prefer less bite)
3-5 dashes Tabasco sauce
1/4 - 1/2 tsp dried oregano

I like to saute the vegetables for a longer period in the pan, then they can simmer for less time in order to really bring out the flavors and taste.  

Add, then simmer vegetables for ~7-8 minutes:
~3 cups water (just until top of veggies)
1 tsp GF chicken bouillon seasoning (optional)

Add:
1 cup 10% cream OR milk (lactose-free works great)

Mix in a small bowl:
1/4 cup 10% cream OR milk
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup Kristin's Gluten-Free Flour Mix

Once you've mixed the flour/cream together, you want to add it a little at a time to the bubbling soup.  Stirring and returning soup to a low boil to adjust thickness after you add each 1-2 Tbsp.  I prefer a less thick chowder, and so would recommend just a bit being added.

Here's the chowder after being thickened a bit.  I prefer a just barely thickened creamy soup to the thick chowders sometimes served.  In this picture the soup is ready for seafood to be added. 

Once you've achieved the desire chowder thickness and returned your soup to a boil over medium heat, add the following and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally:
8 large scallops, diced (or equivalent amount of small scallops)
3 haddock fillets, diced

Taste test the soup at this point to adjust with salt and pepper, as desired.  The Old Bay Seasoning has quite a bit of salt, so I usually just add a dash of pepper.

Just before serving, add:
cooked lobster meat from 2 large lobsters, diced (I remove and use the tail, claws, knuckles)

This flavorful seafood chowder is wonderful served alongside garlic bread.  A few breads we enjoy eating as garlic bread are: a tasty GF French-Style Bread, GF white bread, GF naan bread, and homemade GF sourdough bread.

In my opinion, the perfect accompaniment to a fresh seafood chowder and garlic bread dinner is a homemade apple crisp.  If you can find Cortland apples, you'll truly be in heaven.  Enjoy!

A homemade GF apple crisp made with local Cortland apples - yum! 

This easy recipe is one of our favorite chowders to whip together on a cold night.  The best part is, it doesn't have any cream so it's not too heavy.  We love eating this with garlic bread or rolls - pretty much any of the recipes I've posted will do.  It's great as leftovers, too! Enjoy!

Ready to pop in a bowl to eat! Yum!

Corn & Bacon Chowder

Serves 4-6

In a large saucepan over medium heat melt:
1/4 cup butter

Add and cook, stirring regularly, until onion has softened:
1 onion, chopped
1 package bacon (8 oz.), trim off the fattiest bits and chop coarsely (I prefer the nitrate-free kind)
2 tsp minced garlic

* You have two options for thickening the soup - you can add GF flour mix to thicken the soup now or add cornstarch to thicken at the end.
Option 1 for thickening soup: 
Once onion has softened, add and cook, stirring constantly for 1 minute:
1/4 cup Kristin's Gluten-Free Flour Mix

Add and bring to boil over medium-high to high heat:
2 cups GF chicken stock OR 2 cups water + 3 tsp Asian mushroom seasoning
3 1/2 - 4 cups milk (lactose-free works great)
2-3 medium potatoes, chopped (peel potatoes if the skin is thick, wash and leave on if the skin is thin)
3/4 tsp. dried chives (OR you can add 2 Tbsp finely chopped fresh chives just before serving)

Lower heat and simmer, uncovered, ~15 minutes, until potato is soft.

Add and bring back to boil/simmer:
2 cups frozen corn kernels OR 2 cups fresh corn kernels

If you did NOT add GF flour mix earlier, do the following now to thicken the soup.
Option 2 for thickening soup: 
While soup is reheating, mix in a small bowl:
2 - 2 1/2 Tbsp cornstarch
1/4 cup cold milk

Pour the cornstarch and milk mixture into your boiling/simmering soup, and stir 1 minute to thicken.
If you used fresh corn kernels, let simmer an additional 2 minutes. 

Add fresh chives now if you did not use dried chives.
Season with salt and pepper, to taste.

Great served with toasted buttered GF bread or rolls.  Enjoy!

Corn & Bacon Chowder Recipe by Successfully Gluten Free!