Nettle Soup Recipe - How to Make Nasselsoppa or Nettle Soup (2024)

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5 from 7 votes

By Hank Shaw

March 19, 2018 | Updated June 06, 2022

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Nettle Soup Recipe - How to Make Nasselsoppa or Nettle Soup (2)

Every year about this time, I long for the green of spring. It is an itch I need to scratch. Bad.

And yes, I realize that as a resident of Northern California I ought to be the last person whining about winter, but I cannot help it. It’s not the weather so much as it’s that I need a break from heavy stews and braises, at least for now. And because I do live in NorCal, I can scratch my itch even in February.

We’ve had a warm, dry winter. Every little bit of rain we get is welcomed. This year we all have reverse seasonal affective disorder: When it’s gloomy and rainy, we’re happy. It means we get to drink water this summer.

Spring rains transform our grassy hillsides into what seems to be emerald suede — not unlike this nettle soup. Anyone who knows me knows that I am in love with smooth soups. Elise and I have made lots of them over at Simply Recipes, and one of our favorites is my Provencal fish soup.

Every year around February or early March we goto a farm in the Delta where dwarf nettles grow as a weed; my friend Josh has permission to forage there. Dwarf nettles, Urtica urens, don’t have nearly as nasty a sting as Urtica dioica, which is the standard stinging nettle. These are more dainty, more civilized. But dwarf nettles, at least in this part of the world, can carry a very faint fishy aroma.

Nettle Soup Recipe - How to Make Nasselsoppa or Nettle Soup (3)

This aroma is easy to mask in normal cooking, but I will often pair fish with dwarf nettles anyway — go with the flow, right? Sometimes I skip the fish, though, and use a russet potato instead.

The easiest way to pick any nettles is to wear heavy garden gloves. Grab the top 4 to 8 inches of the plant, twist and yank off the tops. Josh is more methodical, snipping everything down to a part of the stem that has a little red on it; Once you get to that part of the stem, the nettle is too fibrous. Toss the nettles into a paper grocery bag and you’re good to go.

I’ve written a lot about processing and cooking nettles, so I will direct you to that post if you have questions.

I’ve made nettle pasta, and I’ve made nettle pesto and a whole bunch of other things, but I like nettle soup every bit as much. Everyone seems to have a nettle soup recipe, however, so I decided to make mine a bit different.

I combined the technique of the Provencal smooth soup with the flavors of thenässelsoppa, a Scandinavian nettle soup.It was exactly what I needed. You cannot get any greener than this soup, and the flavor was warm, smooth and alive — bright, clean and briny. A perfect herald of spring.

5 from 7 votes

Scandinavian Nettle Soup

This is a mashup between a traditional Swedish nettle soup and a smooth French-style fish bisque. Any lean, white fish works here. Don't use an oily fish. Or skip the fish and use a potato to thicken the soup. If you don't have nettles, use a 50-50 mix of parsley and spinach for a similar effect. The greenery must be blanched before you use it in this soup. You can buy frozen, cooked spinach, but you'll need to blanch parsley for 1 minute in salty, boiling water before shocking it in an ice bath. Nettles need anywhere from 30 to 90 seconds in the boiling water.

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Course: Soup

Cuisine: Scandinavian

Servings: 6 people

Prep Time: 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 45 minutes minutes

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1 cup chopped white onion
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 1 quart chicken or vegetable stock
  • 1 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg, preferably freshly grated
  • Salt to taste
  • 1 pound lean white fish or 1 large russet potato , chopped roughly
  • 1 pound chopped, blanched nettles, or parsley and spinach
  • Sour cream and black pepper for garnish

Instructions

  • Cook the onions in the butter over medium heat until they are soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook another minute.

  • Pour in the stock and add the thyme, nutmeg, salt, fish (or potato) and nettles. Bring this to a gentle simmer and cook for 15-20 minutes. You want the nettles to be very tender.

  • When the nettles are ready, taste the soup and add salt and nutmeg if it needs it. You want to be able to pick up the nutmeg in the final dish.

  • Puree the soup in a blender. You might need to do this in batches. If you want to get fancy, push the puree through a fine-meshed strainer. Put back on the stove just to warm through. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and some black pepper.

Notes

Don't want to use fish here? Skip it and use 1 large, peeled russet potato instead. Oh, and you don't have to strain the soup after pureeing it. I do because I like refined soups. It'll be fine right out of the blender.

Nutrition

Calories: 162kcal | Carbohydrates: 24g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Cholesterol: 15mg | Sodium: 640mg | Potassium: 607mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 2031IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 384mg | Iron: 2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Tried this recipe? Tag me today!Mention @huntgathercook or tag #hankshaw!

Categorized as:
Featured, Foraging, Recipe, Scandinavian

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About Hank Shaw

Hey there. Welcome to Hunter Angler Gardener Cook, the internet’s largest source of recipes and know-how for wild foods. I am a chef, author, and yes, hunter, angler, gardener, forager and cook. Follow me on Instagram and on Facebook.

Read More About Me

Nettle Soup Recipe - How to Make Nasselsoppa or Nettle Soup (2024)

FAQs

How to make nettle compost? ›

Once brewed, dilute the nettle concentrate 1:10 parts water. Use a watering can to feed the fertilizer to your plants. Top off the nettle liquid throughout the year by adding more leaves and water. At the end of the growing season, simply add the nettle dregs to the compost bin, then start again in Spring.

Is nettle soup good for arthritis? ›

In a scientific study of patients with acute arthritis, stewed stinging nettle leaves enhanced the anti-inflammatory effect of diclofenac, an NSAID. Although this effect can reduce pain, talk to your doctor before taking or using stinging nettle if you also take NSAIDs.

How does nettle soup not sting? ›

Stinging nettles are known to have a high nutritional value, including calcium, magnesium, iron, and vitamins A and B. Historically, one of the easy ways of consuming nettles is either through a soup or a tea because the boiling water deactivates the nettle from stinging.

How do you prepare stinging nettle for medicinal purposes? ›

IF USING DRIED NETTLES: Bring 1 ⅔ cups water to a boil in a small saucepan. Turn off the heat, add the dried nettles, and stir every 5 minutes as the nettles rehydrate. Set aside (you won't be straining the rehydrated nettles).

Are boiled nettles good for you? ›

Nettles are useful for a variety of inflammatory conditions such as arthritis and chronic myalgia. Nettle tea or herbal supplements have been shown to effectively treat gout, relieve muscle aches and minimize the symptoms of arthritis.

What should you not use nettle fertiliser on? ›

This fertilizer works best on plants that have a high demand for nourishment such as fruit trees and bushes, roses, annuals and perennial flowering plants. It works for tomatoes, leeks, brassicas, cucumbers and courgettes. However, it is not meant for beans, peas, onions, potatoes and root vegetables.

What are the negative side effects of nettle? ›

When taken by mouth: Stinging nettle is possibly safe when used for up to 1 year. It might cause diarrhea, constipation, and upset stomach in some people. When applied to the skin: Stinging nettle is possibly safe.

What does nettle do to kidneys? ›

Prevents kidney diseases and other urinary and bladder problems: Nettle tea benefits the kidneys by increasing urine output and uric acid removal. Because of its anti-inflammatory properties, it improves kidney function and urinary flow.

What does nettle do for a woman? ›

This nutrient-dense herb has a wide-array of uses, but today we want to take a closer look specifically at how it's been used to treat issues of women's health. From treating UTIs and painful menstruation, to mitigating and preventing osteoporosis, the nettle plant is an ally not to be overlooked.

When should you not eat nettles? ›

You really should not eat them once they begin to form flowers – as they'll start to produce a substance that can interfere with kidney function – but is of great benefit to butterflies and moths! If you ever pull up nettle roots, you'll notice they are yellow and are often used as a natural die.

How long to boil nettle? ›

The whole young plant can be eaten, stems and all. Larger stems will get fibrous and should be removed. Rinse nettles in a colander before cooking. Methods for preparing nettles include: • Boiling – boil nettles for 3-5 minutes.

What's the difference between nettle and stinging nettle? ›

Burning nettle (Urtica urens) and stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) belong to the family Urticaceae. Both are upright plants, which are well recognized for their stinging hairs. Although both are often called stinging nettle, that common name only applies to Urtica dioica.

What is the best way to take nettle? ›

The dried leaves and flowers can be steeped to make a delicious herbal tea, while its leaves, stem and roots can be cooked and added to soups, stews, smoothies and stir-frys. However, avoid eating fresh leaves, as their barbs can cause irritation. Currently, there is no recommended dosage for stinging nettle products.

How many cups of nettle tea per day? ›

There's no one recommended portion size for nettle leaf or nettle leaf products, though the Arthritis Foundation suggests these amounts for arthritis benefits: 1 cup of tea three times a day. Up to 1,300 milligrams a day in capsule form. As a tincture (a solution in alcohol), 1-4 milliliters, three times a day.

Does nettle cleanse the liver? ›

Packed with a variety of polyphenolic compounds and pigments, nettle leaf detox drinks reduce liver inflammation. A regular cleanse with nettle leaf detox drinks can help lower blood pressure and improve the heart's antioxidant defenses.

Do nettles make good compost? ›

Yes, you can compost nettles. Nettles are considered a natural composting accelerator, especially if you've got a “brown“-heavy heap. You can also use nettles to make a liquid fertiliser for the garden – ferment them in rainwater at a ratio of 10:1 for a few weeks, either in a covered bucket or an old fizzy pop bottle.

How do you make nettle root powder? ›

If you have a dehydrator, place the leaves in the trays and dehydrate on low overnight or until the leaves are fully dry. Or simply hang the plants in a dry, dark, ventilated place and let them dry naturally. Put the dry leaves in a blender and blend until powdered. A vitamix will make a nice, fine powder.

Which plants like nettle fertiliser? ›

To use it, just add one part of your nettle tea to ten parts water. Because it's rich in nitrogen, this is particularly useful for leafy vegetables like kale, chard and spinach. You can also cut nettles to lay, as they are, around larger plants or shrubby fruits, where they will serve as a valuable mulch.

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