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I grew up regularly eating salmon soup. It is one of my favorite soups and it also brings back fond memories of my childhood. Mom made the soup with white onions, milk and canned salmon. Often, my  job was to remove the bones and skin. The crunchy bones and slippery skin do not need to be thrown away, as they can be eaten, so their removal is according to taste. The canning process makes the skin and bones edible. Red salmon has a deeper flavor than the pink salmon,

Over the years, I have added diced red potatoes that I pre-cooked in the microwave, various types of rice, chopped celery, sliced sautéed mushrooms, diced peppers and/or any veggie leftovers.

Mom always used milk, but I prefer to use heavy cream for the texture that  it brings to the dish. Some people like their soups thinner, so more cream/milk will be needed, so just add to taste.

I have always used the entire can of fish for this dish, but in the picture, you will see some stuffed mushrooms that I tried with some of the salmon.

We like eating this soup with a warm, crusty slice of whole grain bread. A garnish of chopped cooked bacon and/or chopped fresh parsley is tasty and adds a nice spot of color.

BASIC SALMON SOUP

1 can of salmon

2T chopped red or green onions

Garlic powder, to taste

2T and 1T butter

1T olive oil

Cream or milk to taste

In a saucepan over medium heat, melt two tablespoons of butter along with the olive oil. [The olive oil will help prevent the butter from browning too fast].

Add the onions and cook until translucent. While the onions are cooking, place the salmon in a bowl and take out the skin and bones, if desired.

Add the salmon and juice to the saucepan. Stir in the garlic powder.

Add cream/milk to the desired amount and bring to a simmer

When heated through, ladle the soup into a bowl. Split the one tablespoon of butter to top the servings of soup.

To make the stuffed mushrooms, I used most of the salmon for the soup and the rest I combined with about a tablespoon of softened cream cheese and garlic powder. I pre-baked the mushrooms, with the stems removed and placed cap-side up on a cookie sheet in a 350 degree oven and baked until they started to turn brown and stopped releasing juices. I removed them from the oven and drained the juices and placed the mushrooms back on the pan, gill-side up. I then topped them with the salmon mixture and then sprinkled  parmesan and/or asiago cheese. I returned them to the oven and heated them until the cheese was melted.