Allegedly there are people who don’t consider soup a meal, but we are not those people. We love soup. And here’s a particularly hearty, meal-in-a-bowl soup, chockers with veggies, salmon and big, boofy flavour. We’ve used smoked and fresh salmon for the fish part, but you could use fresh, white fish fillets (tarakihi, snapper, ling, for example) if you’d prefer. You could even throw in a mix of fish and prawns. And some mussel meat! Plus scallops! Or, use all smoked fish – maybe kahawai would work? We haven’t gone the route but feel free to try.

There are loads of versions of this American classic and you can change up the veggies (use leeks instead of onions; add some carrots or celeriac, for example). It’s pretty loose. We like the tang and colour of the tomato, and the Old Bay seasoning is really something else. If you’re not familiar with this, it’s a 1939 invention from Baltimore, Maryland, first made by Gustav Brunn who’d just fled the Nazis. He founded a spice company and his Old Bay seasoning, named after a passenger ship line, was one of his first products. Marylanders quickly took to it, pairing it with the local crabs and shrimp – it is indeed cracking with seafood but it’s also popular as a rub for meats and chicken. A bright, slightly salty and warming mix, Old Bay typically contains celery salt, pepper, chilli, bay leaf, cloves, allspice, mustard, mace, ginger, cinnamon and cardamom… you can really taste the celery salt and it’s quite spicy too. So maybe add a little to begin with, then heave in more when you’re comfortable with the heat levels. If you can’t find it, try ordering it online from www.worldfoodsnz.com, who stock American pantry essentials.

SERVES 4-6

45g butter

1 onion, finely chopped

2 celery stalks, finely chopped

½ large, or one small, fennel bulb, diced

3 garlic cloves, minced

4 sprigs thyme

1 tsp fennel seeds

2 large potatoes (about 600g), peeled and diced

1 x 400g can chopped tomatoes

4 tsp Old Bay seasoning, or to taste

1 litre (4 cups) chicken or fish stock

500g skinless, boneless salmon fillets, cut into 1cm pieces

2 tbsp capers 

2-3 tbsp caper brine

180g smoked salmon, flaked

2 tsp finely grated lemon zest

juice of half a lemon

125g (½ cup) creme fraiche

crusty bread, to serve

Heat the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, celery, fennel, garlic, thyme and fennel seeds, then cook, stirring often, for 6 minutes or until starting to soften. Add the potato, then cook, stirring occasionally, for another 8 minutes or until the potatoes are softened. Add the Old Bay seasoning, stir for 1 minute, then add the stock. Bring to a simmer, then reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 15 minutes or until the potatoes are very tender. Use a potato masher to partially mash the potatoes to thicken the soup a little, taking care to leave plenty of chunks and texture. Add the salmon and simmer for about 3 minutes to just cook through, then stir in the capers, caper brine, smoked salmon, lemon zest, juice and creme fraiche. Return to a simmer, then taste, and season with salt and pepper. Divide among warmed bowls and serve with plenty of crusty bread. 

Proudly partnering with Mt Cook Alpine Salmon & Aoraki Salmon