Seafood Chowder
A thick and creamy, chunky seafood soup with flavors of the sea that’s out of this world. Made using fish stock, white fish, scallops, mussels and shrimps or prawns. This version has no potatoes as I don’t believe it needs it, but it does have more seafood. Fresh seafood is the secret so buy the freshest you can. See my fish stock recipe or simply buy it ready made. If you can’t drink wine, you can leave the wine out if you wish and just add the squeeze of half a lemon juice. Enjoy my chunky and creamy seafood chowder, and let me know what you think. Your Chef, Joel!
Ingredients
- 1 stick of butter - 100g - 8 tbsp
- 1 tsp fennel seeds
- 2 x small trimmed corns off the cob 1.5 cups kernels
- 4 streaky bacon slices 5oz -150g
- ½ tsp thyme
- ½ tsp fennel
- 1 bay leaf
- 3 shallots
- 2 carrots
- 2 celery sticks
- 1 garlic clove minced
- ¾ cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 1.5 qt – 1.5 litre seafood stock buy it or see my recipe and make it
- 1 lemon zest only
- 12 large sea scallops cleaned
- 12 mussels bearded and cleaned
- 10 prawns shelled de-veined
- 10 oz - 300g firm white fish such as rockling halibut or other firm white fish, (smoked cod is also great)
- 1½ cup heavy cream
- ⅓ cup fresh flat parsley leaves
- Salt & white pepper
Instructions
- Finely dice all your vegetables including celery, carrot and shallots.
- Slice the bacon into thin lardons.
- In a large heavy bottomed soup pot or Dutch oven melt the butter and sweat the bacon and shallots first, then add the carrots and celery.
- Add thyme, fennel seeds and a bay leaf, cook 10 minutes until vegetables are tender. Add the minced garlic and cook another 5 minutes.
- Sprinkle the flour and cook it off for five minutes.
- Deglaze with white wine, mix well then add the fish stock. Mix well, cover and leave to cook for 20 more minutes. Ensure you scrape the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to avoid any sticking and burning.
- Add the fresh corn kernels.
- Add the cream and some lemon zest and leave on back burner to gently simmer while you cook the mussels.
- For the mussels, wash and remove any beards. Place a saucepan that has a lid on high heat with enough white to cover the bottom (you can also use fish stock). Bring to the boil and add the mussels. Cover with a lid and cook for three minutes while giving the pot a few shakes. Once cooked, remove the mussels from the shells, set aside and strain (keep) the cooking liquid for later.
- Add the seafood to the soup, starting with fish, prawns scallops and mussels and the strained mussel cooking liquid. Gently simmer for 10 minutes.
- Just before serving, add the chopped parsley, mix well.
- Serve and garnish with a few plucked parsley leaves.
Video
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