Omega-3 Creamy Leek Soup

⏲ ~30 min total · prep 14 · cook 16 · 4 servings

By the KFI Test Kitchen · Tested & approved by Jason Lieu, KFI recipe editor

Published Sep 15, 2026 · Updated Sep 15, 2026

Ingredients

• 3 large leeks (about 1 1/2 lb), white and light green parts
• 4 tbsp butter
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 1/2 tsp white pepper
• 6 oz hot-smoked salmon, skin removed
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp snipped chives
• 1/4 tsp salt, plus more to taste

Instructions

1. Halve the leeks lengthwise, slice across into 1/4-inch half-moons, and swish them in a bowl of cold water; lift the leeks out with your hands so the grit stays behind, and drain.
2. Melt the butter in a Dutch oven over medium-low, add the leeks with 1/4 tsp of the salt, cover, and sweat 12-15 minutes, stirring twice, until completely limp and silky with no browning — color here turns the soup bitter.
3. Add the stock and bay leaf, raise to a simmer, and cook 15 minutes, until the leeks collapse against the back of a spoon.
4. Fish out the bay leaf and blend with an immersion blender for about 45 seconds, until completely velvety.
5. Stir in the cream, white pepper, and a little more salt and warm over medium-low for 2-3 minutes, letting it bubble only at the edges — never a rolling boil after the cream goes in.
6. Flake the smoked salmon into 4 warmed bowls, ladle the soup over, and finish each with chives and a few drops of lemon.

Why this recipe works

• Sweated, never browned Twelve to 15 covered minutes over medium-low turns the leeks completely limp and silky. Color at this stage makes the whole pot bitter, which is why the lid stays on.
• Smoked salmon at the end The hot-smoked salmon flakes into warmed bowls at the last second, never into the pot, so it stays flaky and the smoke comes through clean.
• Cream off the boil The cream warms at the edges only, after blending. A rolling boil at that point risks the texture you spent 40 minutes building.

Tips for making this recipe well

Wash leeks the lift way

Swish the sliced half-moons in cold water, then lift them out with your hands so the grit stays in the bowl. Pouring them through a colander dumps the sand right back on top.

Blend longer than feels right

About 45 seconds with the immersion blender takes the soup from slightly grainy to completely velvety. Stop short and the texture tells on you.

Watch for the edge bubble

After the cream goes in, medium-low heat should show bubbles only at the rim of the pot. That 2-to-3-minute warm-through is all it needs.

Warm the bowls

The recipe finishes in 4 warmed bowls, and the detail matters: cold bowls pull the soup under serving temperature before you sit down. Hot tap water does the job.

Season after the cream

The stock and the smoked salmon both bring salt, so taste only after the cream is in. The recipe starts with a quarter teaspoon and adjusts from there.

Serving suggestions

Rainy Tuesday, 40 minutes, and a pot of something that eats like a restaurant first course. Ladle the velvety soup over flaked hot-smoked salmon in warmed bowls and finish each with chives and a few drops of lemon. It serves 4 at 18.0 net carbs a bowl, the kind of number you spend deliberately on a day with room for it. Bread is off the table, so make the chive finish generous.

Storage and meal prep

The soup base keeps 3 to 4 days covered in the fridge and reheats gently on the stove; keep it below a boil so the cream stays smooth. It also freezes for 2 to 3 months, and dairy soups sometimes look separated after thawing, so whisk well while rewarming. Hold the smoked salmon out of the storage container and flake it fresh into each reheated bowl, since salmon that sits in hot soup turns chalky. Chives and lemon go on at the table, always.

Variations worth trying

• No fish version Skip the salmon and the soup stands alone as a leek and cream bowl; add the chives and a little extra white pepper.
• Crisp leek tops Fry a handful of the reserved dark green tops until crisp and scatter them over for texture.
• Chive blossom finish If the chives are flowering, the blossoms do the garnish work and look like you tried.
• Half cream Cut the cream to half a cup for a lighter bowl; the blended leeks still carry it.

Frequently asked questions

18.0 net carbs seems high. Where do they come from?

The leeks are the source; three large ones carry real carbohydrate even after the dark tops are trimmed away. The number is the recipe's own, and the salmon and cream add little to it.

Can I use smoked salmon that is not hot-smoked?

Cold-smoked salmon wilts into the hot soup rather than flaking. Hot-smoked holds its texture in the bowl, which is what the recipe wants.

Do I need an immersion blender?

A countertop blender works; blend in batches and crack the lid so steam does not push it off. The immersion version saves the transfers and the washing up.

Can I make this dairy-free?

The recipe leans on butter and cream for body, so a dairy-free version needs those replaced rather than omitted. Coconut cream is the usual stand-in, though it changes the flavor.

How thin should I slice the leeks?

Quarter-inch half-moons, cut across, after halving them lengthwise. That size melts fully in the 15-minute simmer and blends smooth.

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