maritime fish chowder

I'm a bit of a wuss when it comes to fish and seafood. Generally, I do like fish dishes...but I become a bit more skeptical when it comes to fish stews and broths. If I order pho, ramen or wonton soup I become very picky about the broth. If it's too fishy tasting, I won't eat another bite. However, chowder is something I do like. When we took our summer vacation this past year to the Maritimes, I tried a few different clam and fish chowders. I remember a particularly good one at an Irish pub in Sydney, Nova Scotia. There were large chunks of white fish, salmon and clams along with potatoes, celery and corn and the broth was exceptional. Creamy and buttery without being too rich. It was the perfect bowlful.

So when I found myself with some red snapper in the fridge, along with pretty red skinned potatoes, I knew that I'd try my hand at chowder. I had a tub of flavourful seafood stock in the freezer (tip: next time you make mussels, freeze the leftover liquid!) and some corn niblets that I had frozen myself in September. I wanted to lighten things up, so I used skim milk instead of cream and I just used a tablespoon of butter, but if you want something richer, then go all out and gild that lily! The final result was delicious and came very close to our dreamy Maritime chowder.

maritime fish chowder
(adapted from Simply Recipes)
2 T butter
1 large onion, finely diced
2 stalks celery, finely diced
4 small-ish potatoes, diced
1 t thyme
1 t salt
1 t pepper
1/2 t paprika
1/2 t cayenne pepper
1 1/2 t Old Bay seasoning
1 1/2 c fish stock + water
1 1/2 - 2 lbs Red Snapper (or cod), cut into 2 inch cubes
1/2 c corn
1 1/2 c skim milk

In a large pot, saute the onion and celery in the butter until soft and fragrant. Add in the potatoes and all of the seasonings. Add in the fish stock and add enough water to just cover everything. Cover and simmer over medium heat for 30 minutes until the potatoes are done.

Stir in the fish and cover again for another 15 minutes. Turn down the heat to a low simmer and slowly add in the milk – I had the heat on the very lowest setting. Do not bring this mixture to a boil or the milk may curdle. Add in the corn and let it rest with the lid on for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Serve in deep bowls with oyster crackers or hunks of buttered sourdough bread.

soup for 2: potato coconut corn chowder

I was away for a few days visiting my family in Ontario and when I returned home, the cupboards were bare. I did have enough to scrape together soup for two, which seems kind of ridiculous when written down. I mean, soup for 2? Just two??? Soup is usually made in large batches, frozen into containers or eaten for days. But I only had halves and bits and pieces of fresh vegetables and the teeniest-tiniest can of coconut milk...and I was hungry, dammit! So this the result. Obviously, I don't have a photo of the chowder. It was dark and we were hungry, so the perfect photo-op didn't exist. Instead, I decided to illustrate my meal instead. It's cute and it provided the perfect outlet to practice my procrastination.

Did I mention that it was oh-so-delicious? Even my soup-challenged husband said that it was tasty. Chowder is usually made with dairy or soy milk, but all I had was that cute can of coconut milk and it worked wonderfully. It lent the dish a slightly more exotic flare than the usual potato corn soup. You are welcome to make this so that you have enough to keep you company for days, but for me, the fact that there was only enough for two made the meal extra special.

potato coconut corn chowder
1 T olive oil
1/2 red onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 red pepper, diced
1 stalk celery, diced
3 small potatoes, cubed
1 t cumin (heaping)
1 vegetable bullion cube
3 c water (or enough to cover vegetables)
1 tiny (5.6 oz) can of coconut milk
1/2 t dried rosemary
1/2 c frozen corn
5 leaves fresh basil
freshly ground pepper & salt to taste

In a medium sized pot, heat oil and add in diced onion, red pepper, celery and garlic. Saute until soft and stir in the cumin. Add in potatoes, bullion cube and water. Cover and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer until potatoes are done, about 15 minutes. Add in coconut milk and rosemary and use a potato masher to mash down the potatoes and vegetables. Add in corn and fresh basil and grind in some pepper and add salt to taste (if necessary). Serve in 2 large bowls.

my first weekend cat blog

Yes, it's true. Cornelius and I have a little furry friend named Snoopy. She doesn't do much around the house other than nap and leer at us with her yellow eyes. If only she could do the house cleaning! But we still love her regardless of her inability to contribute to the run of the house. I realized that I don't take very many photos of our cat...and isn't that the joke about bloggers? Oh well, I'm taking the plunge - this time.

Yesterday, I spent the day walking everywhere. I went to a cool craft fair, shopped for rick rack and ribbons at my favorite fabric shop and bought a bunch of plain tea towels for a highly secret xmas craft involving screen printing and cakes! When I got home, my feet were sore and I wanted something warm and filling, so I decided to make a corn and potato chowder.

Years ago, during my "lean" years working at a record store, I used to make this soup all the time. I made it vegetarian because I was one at the time (for 10 years in fact) and I made it dairy free because it never occurred to me to add milk. This time, I gussied it up a little bit with the addition of turkey sausage and a splash of milk and Cornelius and I loved it. You can definitely play with the spices here. Instead of rosemary, use cumin and coriander or add in some chipotle or smoked paprika.

potato, corn & turkey kielbasa chowder

3 large potatoes cut into a small dice
1 small onion, finely diced
1 T olive oil
2 stalks of celery, finely diced
vegetable or chicken stock
1 t rosemary
1 c frozen corn
a small knob of turkey kielbasa, diced
1/2 c milk
salt & pepper

In a large pot, heat up olive oil and saute the onion and celery until soft. Add the diced potatoes and rosemary and add enough stock to cover the vegetables. Bring to a boil and then let simmer until the potatoes are soft. Add the corn and the kielbasa along with enough milk to get the soup to the consistancy you like. Add salt and pepper to taste.