Bergen Fish Soup

Name: Bergen Fish Soup
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 15 min
Total time: 45 min
Cuisine: Norway
Ingredients: 30 g (2 tbsp) unsalted butter; 30 g (¼ cup) all-purpose flour; 1¼ l (5 cups) fish stock, Fish Stock or good store-bought; 2 carrots, about 150 g, diced 5 mm; 150 g (5 oz) celeriac or parsnip, diced 5 mm; 1 small leek, white and pale green, finely sliced and washed; 200 ml (¾ cup + 1 tbsp) heavy cream; 500 g (1 lb 2 oz) skinless white fish fillet (cod, haddock, pollock), pin bones removed, cut into 3 cm pieces; 1 tsp sugar; 1 tbsp white wine vinegar, or distilled vinegar; to taste; 1 egg yolk, optional, for a richer finish; 2 tbsp chives or dill, chopped; fine sea salt and white pepper, about 6 g (1 tsp) salt, depending on stock

Norway's creamy, gently sweet-sour fish soup with root vegetables

Serves: 4
Hands-on: 30 min
Total: 45 min
Level: Some skill

Bergensk fiskesuppe is a pale, creamy soup of white fish and small diced root vegetables, finished with a hint of sugar and vinegar that gives it a soft sweet-sour lift. This version thickens lightly with a roux, poaches the fish in the soup for just a few minutes at the end, and keeps the egg-yolk enrichment optional.

Ingredients

30 gunsalted butter (2 tbsp)
30 gall-purpose flour (¼ cup)
1¼ lfish stock (5 cups)Fish Stock or good store-bought
2carrotsabout 150 g, diced 5 mm
150 gceleriac or parsnip (5 oz)diced 5 mm
1small leekwhite and pale green, finely sliced and washed
200 mlheavy cream (¾ cup + 1 tbsp)
500 gskinless white fish fillet (cod, haddock, pollock) (1 lb 2 oz)pin bones removed, cut into 3 cm pieces
1 tspsugar
1 tbspwhite wine vinegaror distilled vinegar; to taste
1egg yolkoptional, for a richer finish
2 tbspchives or dillchopped
fine sea salt and white pepperabout 6 g (1 tsp) salt, depending on stock

Diet: Pescatarian
Allergens: gluten, fish, milk, celery, egg, sulphites
Origin: Norway (Bergen)
Season: Autumn, Winter

Method

Melt the butter in a heavy pot over medium heat. Stir in the flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes without letting it brown. 2 min
Whisk in the stock a ladle at a time, whisking smooth after each addition. Bring to a simmer; it will thicken very slightly.
Add the carrots and celeriac and simmer 8 minutes. 8 min
Add the leek and simmer until all the vegetables are just tender, 3–4 minutes more. 4 min
Stir in the cream and bring back to a bare simmer. Season with the sugar, salt and white pepper, then add vinegar a little at a time until you can taste a gentle sweet-sour lift without it reading as sour.
Lower the heat so the soup is just steaming. Slide in the fish and poach without stirring until it turns opaque and flakes at a touch, 3–4 minutes (about 50–55°C, 122–131°F in the center). 4 min
If using the egg yolk, whisk it in a bowl with a ladle of the hot soup, then stir it gently back into the pot off the heat. Do not let the soup boil again.
Ladle into warm bowls, keeping the fish pieces whole, and scatter with chives or dill.

Why it works

A light roux gives the soup a velvety body that holds the cream in suspension without curdling. White fish proteins tighten quickly above about 55°C, so poaching it last in barely simmering liquid keeps the flakes moist and whole. The small amounts of sugar and vinegar don't make the soup sweet or sour; they sharpen the contrast between rich cream and delicate fish.

Common mistakes

Boiling after the fish goes in: it breaks into shreds and turns dry. Keep the heat low and stir gently.
Adding all the vinegar at once: brands vary. Add in drops and taste.
Boiling after the yolk: it scrambles into flecks. Take it off the heat first.

Variations

With shrimp or mussels: Replace 150 g of the fish with peeled shrimp or shelled cooked mussels, added in the last 2 minutes.
Fish balls: Traditional versions often include small poached fish balls; add 200 g store-bought fish balls with the fish.

Make ahead and storage

Make the base through the cream step up to 2 days ahead; reheat and poach the fish just before serving. Leftovers with fish keep 1 day.

Notes

Salmon can replace part of the white fish for color. If you have no celeriac, use 1 celery stalk plus an extra carrot. Egg only if you add the yolk.