Nettle Soup (Nässelsoppa)
Overview
Nässelsoppa is a bright green Swedish spring soup made from young stinging nettle tops. The nettles are blanched, which removes their sting, then cooked with onion, butter and stock, sometimes thickened with a little flour or potato, and blended until smooth. The soup has a fresh, grassy flavour like spinach with a light earthy note. It is traditionally served with halved hard-boiled eggs and sometimes a spoon of cream. Only the young tops of the plants are picked, and they lose their sting completely once they are blanched in hot water.
History
Nettles are among the first wild greens to appear in Scandinavian spring, and nettle soup was once an important source of vitamins after a long winter. In Sweden it is a traditional dish around Easter and the early spring. Foraging for nettles has become popular again, and the soup is now served in many restaurants in April and May.
Main ingredients
Young stinging nettles, potato, onion, butter, vegetable stock, hard-boiled eggs. The soup is built on vegetable stock and is usually served hot. Diet: vegetarian; not usually gluten-free.
Explore: Potato soups · Egg soups · Spinach and greens soups · More soups from Sweden
Recipe outline serves 4 · ~45 min
Ingredients
- 500 g young nettle tops (wear gloves)
- 1 onion
- 1 potato
- 30 g butter
- 1 l vegetable stock
- 4 hard-boiled eggs
Allergens: Contains: Eggs, Milk. Based on the typical recipe. Recipes and products vary; always check labels if you have an allergy.
Method
- Blanch the nettles for 1 minute, drain and chop.
- Soften the onion in butter, add the potato and stock and cook for 15 minutes.
- Add the nettles and cook for 3 minutes, then blend.
- Season and serve with halved eggs.
Sources
Description, history and recipe written by SoupWiki and checked against the sources above. Calories and times are rough estimates.
