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What to eat in Finland? Top 4 Finnish Fish Dishes

Last update: Thu Feb 13 2025
Top 4 Finnish Fish Dishes
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01
Loimulohi
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Loimulohi is a traditional method of preparing salmon or rainbow trout. The fish is smoked on a wooden plank that's placed vertically over an open fire. Before the process, the salmon is usually seasoned with sea salt and drizzled or brushed with lemon juice, honey, or juniper berries.


The cooking time depends on the distance from the coals. Once done, the smoky fish can be eaten straight off the plank.

02
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Lohikeitto is a creamy Finish salmon soup, similar to laxsoppa in Sweden. Apart from chunks of salmon fillet, it traditionally incorporates diced potatoes and carrots cooked in a flavorful, buttery broth infused with fish stock and cream.


This comforting winter dish is generously seasoned with dill and served alongside buttered rye bread or lemon wedges.

MOST ICONIC Lohikeitto

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03
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Kalakeitto or fish soup has been a staple of traditional Finnish cuisine for a long time. Although there are numerous ways to prepare this classic Finnish specialty, it typically consists of cleaned and filleted fish chunks and diced vegetables that are simmered in a rich, buttery fish broth.


Carrots, potatoes, onions, and leeks are among the most common vegetables used for the soup’s preparation, while the choice of fish includes salmon, rainbow trout, vendace, pike, perch, zander, or burbot. Traditionally, the soup is enhanced with the addition of butter and cooking cream (ruokakermaa), and it is usually flavored with dill, allspice, bay leaves, salt, and pepper. 
04
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Small Baltic herring, called silakka in Finnish, is the key ingredient of this traditional fish specialty hailing from Finland. Silakat is typically made by dredging whole cleaned herrings (or herring fillets with their skin attached) in flour combined with pepper, salt, and sometimes lime zest before pan-frying them in hot oil or butter.


The crispy herring fillets are then generously seasoned with crushed sea salt and accompanied by a side of mashed potatoes, pickled cucumbers, or lime wedges. After frying, silakat can also be pickled with vinegar, and served with carrots, bay leaves, and onions.

MOST ICONIC Silakat

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Finnish Fish Dishes