The best seafood chowder
Martha Collison's seafood chowder is packed with smoked cod, tender salmon and juicy prawns. A pinch of saffron dials up the richness, and samphire brings a salty freshness at the end. Serve – with or without the bread bowl – with crispy pancetta and a sprinkle of lemon zest for a hearty yet balanced supper.
- Serves4
- CourseLunch
- Prepare20 mins
- Cook30 mins
- Total time50 mins
Ingredients
- 2 x 77 pack Cooks’ Ingredients Beechwood Smoked Diced Pancetta
- 20g butter
- 1 large onion, finely diced
- 1 stick celery, finely diced
- 1 carrot, peeled and finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2 tbsp plain flour
- 150ml white wine
- 650ml fish stock
- 150ml milk
- Pinch saffron
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 sprig thyme
- 500g potatoes, such as King Edward or Albert Bartlett Golden Belle, peeled and cut into 2cm cubes
- 200ml double cream
- 150g No.1 Prime Scottish Salmon Fillet (from the fish counter), skinned and cut into 2.5cm cubes
- 150g smoked cod (from the fish counter), cut into 2.5cm cubes
- 165g raw extra large king prawns
- 45g samphire
- 1 unwaxed lemon, zest, plus extra to serve and juice for squeezing (optional)
- ½ x 25g pack flat leaf parsley, leaves chopped, to serve (optional)
Method
Heat a large saucepan or casserole over a medium heat. Add the pancetta and cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cooked, crisp and golden and the fat has rendered out. Using a slotted spoon, remove the pancetta and save for the garnish.
Add the butter to the pan, then the onion, celery, and carrot. Cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables have softened and the onion is translucent. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more until fragrant.
Sprinkle the flour over the vegetables. Stir well to coat evenly and cook for 1-2 minutes to cook out the rawness of the flour. 4 Gradually pour in the wine and about 200ml fish stock, stirring constantly to combine. Simmer for 2-3 minutes to reduce slightly
Pour in the remaining fish stock and the milk, then stir to combine. Add the saffron, bay leaves, and thyme, then bring to a simmer
Add the potatoes, stir in, then simmer gently, covered for 10-15 minutes, or until just tender when pressed with a fork but not mushy.
Pour in the double cream and stir to combine. Gently add the salmon, cod and prawns to the pan. Stir gently to incorporate, without breaking up the fish. Cover with the lid and cook for 4-5 minutes, until the fish is just cooked through and the prawns are pink and opaque.
Take the pan off the heat, then stir in the samphire and lemon zest, allowing the samphire to soften slightly in the hot liquid for 1-2 minutes. Taste and season with salt, freshly ground black pepper and add a squeeze of lemon juice, if liked. Remove the thyme sprig and bay leaves.
Ladle the chowder into bowls (or create a bread bowl, following my tips). Garnish with the reserved pancetta, extra lemon zest and some parsley, if liked. Serve with warm crusty bread on the side, if liked.
Cook’s tip
Bread bowl
Enjoy your chowder San Francisco-style and serve in a sourdough bread bowl. Take a round 400g brown sourdough boule loaf per person and cut a circle from the top, leaving a rim of around 2cm. Remove the middle of the loaf, then fill with a portion of chowder. Garnish, then serve with the scooped-out middle to dip. It’s a lot of bread for one portion, but using a loaf this size makes it leakproof.
Size is everything
Getting a perfect cook on the vegetables, potatoes and seafood is entirely dependent on your knife skills! Take your time to make sure each is cut to exactly the right size. Do this and the carrots, onion and celery will soften at the same rate, and the potatoes will be tender and the seafood juicy.
Other seafood
I’ve opted for a mix of prawns, salmon and smoked cod for a flavoursome chowder, but you can adapt the recipe to include your favourite seafood. Mussels or clams can be added at the same time as the other fish – discard any unopened shells before serving.
Nutritional
Typical values per serving when made using specific products in recipe
Energy | 3,543kJ/ 851kcals |
---|---|
Fat | 51g |
Saturated Fat | 26g |
Carbohydrates | 43g |
Sugars | 16g |
Fibre | 9g |
Protein | 43g |
Salt | 2.2g |