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Irish Seafood Chowder

Source of Recipe

From "The Farmette Cookbook" by Imen McDonnell


Recipe Introduction

"One of the foods for which I receive the most requests from farm visitors is a steaming bowl of seafood chowder. True, this chowder can be found on nearly every gastropub menu in the country, but as with most comfort foods, the homemade version�served with cuts of warm, buttered brown bread�is more satisfying. A medium-size bowl makes a meal!"

List of Ingredients

◦ 1 pound mussels, in the shell
◦ 1 cup white wine
◦ 1 cup peeled and diced russet potato
◦ 1 carrot
◦ 2 stalks celery
◦ 1 medium onion
◦ 4 tablespoons butter
◦ Heaping � cup all-purpose flour
◦ 2 cups cream
◦ 2 cups milk
◦ 1 cup prepared fish or vegetable stock
◦ 2 cups smoked fish (such as haddock, cod, or salmon), cut into bite-size pieces
◦ � cup scallops, shelled
◦ Salt and pepper, to season


Recipe

Wash and beard the mussels. Steam in a large pot with the white wine. When the mussels have all opened, they are cooked. Remove from the heat, drain the mussel juice, and remove the cooked mussels from their shells. Set aside.

Dice the potato, carrot, celery, and onion into small, equal pieces. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter in a large pot, and cook the diced vegetables over low heat until translucent, about 10 minutes.

In a separate saucepan, stir together the remaining butter and flour over low heat to form a roux. Bring the cream, milk, and stock to boiling in another saucepan. Whisk in the butter and flour mixture, and bring back to a simmer, stirring continuously.

When the potato, carrot, celery, and onion mixture is cooked, add the diced fish and scallops, followed by the thickened cream and stock mixture and the cooked mussels.

Bring the soup back to a simmer, adjust the seasonings if necessary, and serve in bowls with white soda bread or Best Brown Bread.

Serves 6




❧ Scullery Notes:
Reserve some mussels in the shell for a beautiful garnish.