The BEST Easy Salmon Bisque Recipe That Will Have You Wanting to Eat More Salmon

This healthy and easy to make salmon bisque recipe has layers of flavor, tons of vegetables, and tender flaky salmon in a thick, hearty broth. It’s rich and creamy with just a little splash of cream!

Sometimes, the way I remember a particular dish is by what was happening when I made it. In my mind, this will always be the soup of seven phone calls.

It was a chilly day a couple weeks ago (we had a cold front blow in that brought temps in the 50’s and 60’s with it. It sounds strange for this time of year, but it really is par for the course with our crazy Upstate New York weather. And now we’ve had temps in the 80’s/90’s for the past few days!) when I made this soup, start to finish, without a single call.

I set up my styling, plated my creamy salmon soup, and positioned my camera. I was about to take the first picture when the phone rang.

It was someone calling for Marco’s Styling Salon, a hair salon down the street. Their phone number is one digit away from mine and I get wrong numbers from their clients all the time. Ok, that only took a second, back to work.

Not two minutes later the phone rang again. It was a friend who needed life advice. I’m not one to turn away a friend in need, so we talked it out. Once we hung up, about five minutes went by and one of Marco’s clients called again. (Darn it, Marco…I’m about to start scheduling appointments and charging you for secretarial services, lol!)

It went on like this the entire time I was trying to photograph this soup. I got four more calls in the time span of about an hour. And then, of course, once I finished photographing, the phone was silent until the next day.

The salmon soup of seven calls it is, lol!

The Best Salmon Bisque Recipe

This velvety smooth salmon soup is a great option if you’re looking for new ways to eat salmon.

One of the things I love about this salmon bisque recipe is that it only uses three tablespoons of cream. Most of its rich, creamy texture comes from pureeing a mix of veggies.

The flavor is brightened with fresh lemon, thyme, and chives. If you have picky eaters who don’t like salmon, this soup is perfect because the soup gets topped with salmon flakes, so just leave it off for people who don’t like it. It’s more for those of us who like salmon, lol. ;)

Salmon Bisque Ingredients

The ingredients are explained in this section. For the full recipe (including ingredient amounts), please see the recipe card below.

• Unsalted butter – for richness; this is used in combination with light olive oil to sauté the vegetables
• Light olive oil – this helps prevent the butter from scorching as the vegetables sauté
• Onion, carrot, celery – this French trinity is what is known as a “mirepoix”; it provides wonderful depth of flavor for this creamy soup with salmon
• Garlic – for flavor and aroma
• Fresh thyme leaves – or use dried thyme instead
• Bay leaves – don’t worry if you don’t have these on hand
• Dry white wine – Sauvignon Blanc is my favorite; if you don’t have wine on hand, you can deglaze with a mixture of 1/2 teaspoon white wine vinegar mixed with 1/4 cup water instead
• Fish broth – you can substitute with vegetable broth, chicken broth, or water
• Tomato paste – adds volume to the broth, a hint of flavor, and a touch of rosy color
• Worcestershire sauce – all we need is a little splash of this fermented condiment because it packs a real punch of flavor; did you know Worcestershire contains things like anchovies, molasses, and tamarind?
• Sweet paprika – or use smoked paprika or hot paprika if you prefer
• Salt and black pepper – to season the bisque
• Fresh lemon juice – we add a splash of fresh lemon juice at the end to brighten the flavor of this dish
• Heavy cream – this adds richness and makes this soup even more velvety smooth; if you prefer, you can use canned unsweetened full-fat coconut milk instead of cream to keep this dairy-free (and use all light olive oil instead of the butter)
• Wild salmon – or use any type of salmon you have access to
• Minced fresh chives – we use this as a garnish to add a pop of green color and mild onion flavor

How to Make Salmon Bisque

Step 1: Make the Mirepoix and Add the Aromatics:

Heat the butter and oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery, and cook until starting to soften and brown in spots, about 7 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the garlic, thyme, and bay leaves and cook 1 minute more, stirring constantly.

Step 2: Deglaze, add the Liquid and Seasonings, and Simmer:

Turn the heat up to high, add the wine, and cook until evaporated, about 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the stock, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, salt, and pepper.

Bring to a boil, then turn heat down to low and simmer until veggies are very tender, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn off heat and cool slightly. Remove the bay leaves.

While the soup is simmering, I like to cook the salmon (see below for different cooking methods for salmon).

Step 3: Blend:

Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth, or use a regular blender and work in batches. Then pour the soup back into the saucepan.

If you use a regular blender, take out the cap in the center of the lid and place a kitchen towel over the hole so steam can escape as you puree the soup.

Step 4: Add the Finishing Touches:

Stir in the lemon juice and heavy cream. Cook a couple minutes over low heat until warm throughout, stirring constantly (do not let it boil).

Step 5: Serve:

Transfer the soup to serving bowls. Top with the flaked salmon and chives, and serve immediately.

How to Cook Salmon So it’s Flaky and Tender

For this dish, you can cook the salmon any way you like. Grilling, poaching, pan-searing, broiling, or baking all work fine. Typically, I pan-sear or poach the salmon for this recipe, so I’ll give instructions for both.

How to Pan Sear Salmon

I like to pan-sear the fish because it’s quick and gives it bit of color on the outside.

Here’s how to do it:

1. Lightly coat the bottom of a nonstick skillet with olive oil and heat the skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Season the salmon with salt and pepper and add the salmon to the skillet when the oil ripples.
3. Cook the fish until golden on both sides, flipping once (about 2 to 4 minutes per side, depending how big your fillets are).
4. Put a lid on the skillet, turn off the heat, and leave it for 3 minutes to steam the inside of the fish.
5. Flake it with a fork, and serve.

How to Poach Salmon

Poaching the salmon for this seafood bisque also works great because it yields tender, flaky fish. Additionally, you can add flavor if you add seasonings and aromatics to the poaching liquid!

To poach salmon:

1. Add 2 inches of water to a large skillet. You can add aromatics and seasonings like sliced onion, garlic cloves, fresh herbs (such as dill, thyme, parsley, etc.), bay leaves, salt, and black pepper.
2. Bring the water up to a boil.
3. Add the salmon and turn the heat down to a simmer.
4. Cover the skillet and cook until the salmon is opaque and flakes easily with a fork, about 5 minutes, being careful not to overcook.
5. Transfer the salmon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain the water.
6. Flake it with a fork, and serve.

Salmon Bisque Recipe FAQs

What’s the Difference Between Chowder and Bisque?

Typically, bisque has a smooth, creamy texture and chowder has a chunky texture.

Note that if you prefer, you can skip pureeing the vegetables in this recipe and make salmon chowder instead of bisque!

What Can I Use to Deglaze the Pan Instead of White Wine?

If you don’t have wine on hand or just want to use something else, you can use 1/2 teaspoon of white wine vinegar dissolved in 1/4 cup of water instead.

Is This Salmon Bisque Special Diet Friendly?

Gluten Free: To make this soup gluten free, make sure you use gluten free Worcestershire sauce.

Dairy Free: To make this bisque dairy free, omit the butter and use all olive oil. Also, use canned full-fat coconut milk instead of the heavy cream.

Low Carb and Keto Friendly: Each serving of this salmon soup only has 7g net carbs, which makes it easy to fit into a low carb diet or keto meal plan.

More Salmon Recipes to Try

• Air Fryer Salmon Bites with Creamy Cajun Sauce
• Easy Smoked Salmon Dip
• 10-Minute Garlic Butter Salmon

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Salmon Bisque Recipe

4.50 from 2 votes

By: Faith Gorsky

Prep TimePrep Time: 20 minutes minutes

Cook TimeCook Time: 40 minutes minutes

Yields: 4 servings

This healthy and easy to make salmon bisque recipe has layers of flavor, tons of vegetables, and tender flaky salmon in a thick, hearty broth. It’s rich and creamy with just a little splash of cream!

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Ingredients

 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• ▢ 1 tablespoon light olive oil or avocado oil
• ▢ 1 medium-large onion chopped
• ▢ 2 large carrots chopped
• ▢ 2 large stalks celery chopped
• ▢ 3 cloves garlic minced
• ▢ 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme leaves or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• ▢ 2 bay leaves
• ▢ 1/4 cup dry white wine my favorite is Sauvignon Blanc
• ▢ 5 cups fish broth or vegetable broth, chicken broth, or water
• ▢ 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• ▢ 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• ▢ 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon salt
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• ▢ 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• ▢ 3 tablespoons heavy cream
• ▢ 1 pound wild salmon fillets cooked and flaked
• ▢ 2 tablespoons minced fresh chives for garnish
• ▢ Fresh lemon wedges for serving (optional)

US CustomaryMetric

Instructions

 

• Heat the butter and oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, carrot, and celery, and cook until starting to soften and brown in spots, about 7 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic, thyme, and bay leaves and cook 1 minute more, stirring constantly.
• Turn the heat up to high, add the wine, and cook until evaporated, about 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Add the stock, tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, paprika, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil, then turn heat down to low and simmer until veggies are very tender, about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Turn off heat and cool slightly. Remove the bay leaves.
• Use an immersion blender to puree the soup until smooth, or use a regular blender and work in batches. Then pour the soup back into the saucepan. (If you use a regular blender, take out the cap in the center of the lid and place a kitchen towel over the hole so steam can escape as you puree the soup.)
• Stir in the lemon juice and heavy cream. Cook a couple minutes over low heat until warm throughout, stirring constantly (do not let it boil).
• Transfer the soup to serving bowls; top with the flaked salmon and chives, and serve immediately.

Notes

• Net Carbs: 7g per serving
• White Wine Substitute for Deglazing: If you don’t have wine on hand or just want to use something else, you can use 1/2 teaspoon of white wine vinegar dissolved in 1/4 cup of water instead.

How to Pan Sear Salmon

For this recipe, I like to pan-sear the fish since it’s quick and gives it bit of color on the outside. Here’s how to do it:

1. Lightly coat the bottom of a nonstick skillet with olive oil and heat the skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Season the salmon with salt and pepper and add the salmon to the skillet when the oil ripples.
3. Cook the fish until golden on both sides, flipping once (about 2 to 4 minutes per side, depending how big your fillets are).
4. Put a lid on the skillet, turn off the heat, and leave it for 3 minutes to steam the inside of the fish.
5. Flake it with a fork, and serve.

How to Poach Salmon

Poaching the salmon for this recipe also works great because it yields tender, flaky fish. Additionally, you can add flavor if you add seasonings and aromatics to the poaching liquid! To poach salmon:

1. Add 2 inches of water to a large skillet. You can add aromatics and seasonings like sliced onion, garlic cloves, fresh herbs (such as dill, thyme, parsley, etc.), bay leaves, salt, and black pepper.
2. Bring the water up to a boil.
3. Add the salmon and turn the heat down to a simmer.
4. Cover the skillet and cook until the salmon is opaque and flakes easily with a fork, about 5 minutes, being careful not to overcook.
5. Transfer the salmon to a paper towel-lined plate to drain the water.
6. Flake it with a fork, and serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 335kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 24g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 90mg | Sodium: 482mg | Potassium: 903mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 5g | Vitamin A: 6093IU | Vitamin C: 12mg | Calcium: 77mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutritional information is automatically calculated and should be used as an approximate.

Course: Soup

Cuisine: American

Keyword: Creamy Salmon Soup, Salmon Bisque, Salmon Bisque Recipe, Salmon Soup

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This post was first published on An Edible Mosaic on June 21, 2012. It was updated on May 10, 2023.

I’m the writer, recipe developer, photographer, and food stylist behind this blog. I love finding the human connection through something we all do every day: eat! Food is a common ground that we can all relate to, and our tables tell a story. It’s my goal to inspire you to get in the kitchen, try something new, and find a favorite you didn’t know you had.

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