There is a specific kind of evening that calls for this soup. Not quite cold enough for a full winter stew, but the evenings are getting darker, summer is winding down, and you want something warm that actually fills you up without making you feel heavy afterward. This is that soup.
It came together one evening when I had a head of cauliflower, a leek, and a piece of cod in the fridge — the kind of combination that looks underwhelming until you blend it with fish stock and a spoonful of kvarg and realize you have made something genuinely good. The cod goes into the air fryer while the vegetables cook, comes out flaky and golden, and sits on top of the cream in the bowl like it was always supposed to be there.
What I love most about this one is that it keeps you full for hours. Cauliflower-based soups have that quality — the volume is enormous, the calorie count is not, and the protein from the cod means you are not hungry again an hour later. If you are cooking for someone who is watching what they eat, or simply trying to eat more volume and less density, this is a recipe worth making regularly.
One more thing: if cod is not your thing, halloumi sticks from the air fryer work beautifully here. Salty, slightly crispy, a completely different character but equally good against the creaminess of the soup.
Creamy leek and cauliflower soup with baked cod
Equipment
- Airfryer Optional
- blender
Ingredients
- 750 g cauliflower can be frozen
- 2 yellow onions
- 150 g leek white and light green parts only, approx. 150 g
- 220 g carrot
- 2 cloves garlic
- 2 tbsp rapeseed oil
- 1000 ml fish stock I use Touch of Taste brand (1,5tbsp for 0,5L of water)
- 400 g cod fillet
- 2 tbsp natural kvarg
- Salt, black pepper, sweet paprika, lemon juice to taste
Instructions
Soften the base
- Slice the leek into half-rounds and finely chop the garlic.
- Heat 1 tsp of oil or butter in a large pot over low heat.
- Add the leek, onion (sliced into thin wedges), and garlic.
- Cook gently for 4–5 minutes until softened and fragrant. Do not let it colour.
Cook the vegetables
- Add the carrots, sliced into rounds, and the cauliflower florets.
- Pour in the hot fish stock. Cover and cook over medium heat for 15 minutes, until the cauliflower and carrots are completely tender and beginning to break apart.
Prepare the cod
- While the soup cooks, cut the cod into bite-sized pieces.
- Drizzle or spray with the remaining teaspoon of oil, season with salt, pepper, and a squeeze of lemon juice.
- Cook at 230°C for 10 minutes until golden and flaky (preferably in the airfryer, possibly in the oven).
Blend
- Remove the pot from the heat. Blend the vegetables and stock until completely smooth.
- Add the kvarg and blend again until silky and creamy.
- Season with salt, pepper, sweet paprika, and lemon juice to taste.
Serve
- Ladle the soup into deep bowls. Top with the baked cod pieces and finish with a pinch of sweet paprika.
Notes
Nutrition
This recipe is firmly in the “weeknight comfort food” category — quick enough to make on a Tuesday, satisfying enough to feel like you made an effort. It has nothing to do with Sweden specifically, which is exactly why it is here on the blog rather than in one of my cookbooks.
Speaking of which: if you are looking for recipes that are properly, specifically Swedish — the kind you make for Midsommar, for Christmas, for crayfish season, or just because you live here and want to cook like it — my e-book Midsommar the Swedish Way is where those recipes live. It started as a Midsommar collection but the recipes work for any Swedish celebration, any season. Worth a look if that is the kind of cooking you want to do more of.
Cook it the Swedish way
all year round
31 authentic recipes for the perfect not only for Midsommar table — gravlax, silltårta, new potatoes, snaps & strawberry cake.
