Editorial: Kockums JernverkPublished: 2026-11-06

Saffron fish soup with prawns and aioli

Name: Saffron fish soup with prawns and aioli
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 35 min
Total time: 55 min
Cuisine: Swedish
Ingredients: 2 tbsp olive oil; 1 onion; 1 fennel bulb; 1 carrot; 2 garlic cloves; 0.5 g saffron threads; 100 ml dry white wine; 1 tin chopped tomatoes (400 g); 800 ml fish stock; 100 ml double cream; 400 g thick cod or coley fillet; 250 g skinless salmon fillet; 200 g peeled cooked prawns; Salt and freshly ground white pepper; 1 bunch dill; Bread, to serve; 1 egg yolk, at room temperature; 1 garlic clove; 1 tsp Dijon mustard; 200 ml rapeseed oil; 1 tsp lemon juice; Salt

Serves 4 · 55 minutes · Enamel pot 4 L

A festive fish soup with saffron, fennel and tomato that Swedes often serve at Christmas. The enamel pot takes the wine and tomato without any taint, and its even heat lets the fish poach gently.

Saffron fish soup is a tomato-based soup flavoured with saffron, fennel and white wine, served with aioli and bread. It is best when the stock simmers with the vegetables for 15 minutes first and the fish is then poached for just a few minutes so the pieces stay whole.

Saffron fish soup with cod, salmon, prawns, fennel and dill in a white enamel pot with a navy-blue rim, with aioli and bread beside it

Ingredients

Serves 4

2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion
1 fennel bulb
1 carrot
2 garlic cloves
0.5 g saffron threads
100 ml dry white wine
1 tin chopped tomatoes (400 g)
800 ml fish stock
100 ml double cream
400 g thick cod or coley fillet
250 g skinless salmon fillet
200 g peeled cooked prawns
Salt and freshly ground white pepper
1 bunch dill
Bread, to serve

Aioli

1 egg yolk, at room temperature
1 garlic clove
1 tsp Dijon mustard
200 ml rapeseed oil
1 tsp lemon juice
Salt

Method

Make the aioli first. Whisk the egg yolk, crushed garlic and mustard. Add the oil drop by drop, then in a thin stream, whisking hard until thick. Season with lemon juice and salt and chill.
Chop the onion, thinly slice the fennel and finely dice the carrot. Keep the fennel fronds for garnish.
Heat the olive oil in the pot over a medium heat. Soften the onion, fennel and carrot without colouring, about 8 minutes. Add the chopped garlic for the last minute.
Crumble the saffron between your fingers and stir it in. Pour in the wine and let it bubble for a minute. Add the tomatoes and stock and simmer with the lid ajar for 15 minutes.
Stir in the cream and season with salt and pepper. Cut the cod and salmon into 3–4 cm chunks.
Add the fish, lower the heat and poach gently for 3–4 minutes without stirring too much. Add the prawns for the last minute so they just warm through.
Scatter over the dill and fennel fronds and serve straight from the pot with aioli and bread.

Why it works

Enamel does not react with the acid in tomato and wine, so the soup tastes clean and keeps its bright colour. The roomy 4-litre pot lets the fish poach in a single layer without breaking up.