But before I get to the chowder, I want to briefly mention what’s going on with my blog, Menu Planning 101. After thinking on it for a while, I have made the decision to broaden the scope of what Menu Planning 101 is all about. Menu planning will still be a part of it, but I wanted a space to talk more about things of the home, so I’ve renamed the blog and given it a new, broader focus. You’ll still see Menu Planning Monday, and a whole bunch of new stuff in days to come over at my newly named, A Piece Of Home. And that’s just what you’ll see over there. Bits and pieces of stuff that just don’t fit in the scope of a food blog. Stay tuned as I fine-tune and hone in on exactly what I want to accomplish over there.
Now to the Salmon Chowder. Remember just over a month ago I was given a monster fish? And I really butchered one of the fillets trying to remember how to fillet? Rather than be wasteful of the fish, I froze it in chunks and determined that I was going to keep an eye out for a Salmon Chowder recipe to use it in. I found the recipe I wanted to try at Epicurious. Reading through, it sounded easy enough, and just seemed like my type of chowder. I loved the idea that it was not thickened at all with a roux or flour or starch, and was allowed to stand on it’s own. So I picked up the necessary ingredients and decided that Salmon Chowder was on the menu.
I’ll start by admitting that I added one ingredient, so I didn’t follow the recipe completely precisely. I really wasn’t sure if Zander was going to want to eat this chowder, and one vegetable that he always is eager to eat is celery, so I added two chopped stalks of celery when I added the scallions to the pot. That way I didn’t have to lie about the scallions either. When I was asked what the green was in the soup, I could honestly say that there was celery in the soup, and just omit the facts about the onion. The smell that wafted up from the pot as the scallions, celery and garlic was added was fantastic! It smelled like chowder right away, and my hopes were heightened with each step. I did think twice when it came time to add the dairy. Whole milk? Heavy Cream? I really debated using lesser fat ingredients, but then I decided to just go for it, and used the organic versions of both.
I served the soup with fresh scallions sprinkled on top, lemon wedges on the side, and a nice crusty baguette for dunking, and the whole family enjoyed it. This chowder is fantastic. It’s creamy and full of flavor, and honestly, despite the full-fat dairy components, it wasn’t heavy at all. It was simply delicious and satisfying. It was hearty enough to be dinner, and we enjoyed it immensely with some fresh blackberries on the side. I will say that, to me, it was the last fresh squeeze of lemon and the fresh scallion that pulled the chowder together as a whole, so don’t skip that part. Additionally, the recipe calls for you to squeeze the lemon juice right into the entire pot of chowder. I did that, but you know what happens when you add citrus to dairy? It kind of curdles a bit, and the leftover chowder is slightly unappealing to look at. Tastes fun, but looks separated. For future reference, I’ll just add the lemon juice directly to each bowl of chowder and enjoy it that way.
There will be a next time. The other fillet of that fish has a date with the chowder pot.
Salmon Chowder
1/2 pound red potatoes 1/2 pound sliced bacon — cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-wide strips 2 cups chopped scallions (from 2 bunches) 2 stalks celery — chopped 1 cup fresh or frozen corn 3 cloves garlic, minced 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme 1 bay leaf 1/8 teaspoon dried hot red-pepper flakes 3 cups whole milk 2/3 cup heavy cream 1 piece salmon fillet (preferably wild) — (1 1/2-pound) skin discarded and fish cut into 1-inch pieces 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon black pepper 2 teaspoons fresh lemon juiceCut potatoes into 1/2-inch cubes, then cook in a 1- to 1 1/2-quart heavy saucepan of boiling salted water until just tender, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain in a colander and set aside.
Cook bacon in a 5-quart heavy pot over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until crisp, about 8 minutes. Transfer with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain.
Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from pot, then cook scallions, corn, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, and red-pepper flakes in fat in pot over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until scallions are tender, about 5 minutes.
Add milk and cream and bring just to a boil. Reduce heat to moderately low, then add potatoes, salmon, bacon, salt, and pepper and cook, gently stirring occasionally, until salmon is just cooked through and begins to break up as you stir, 5 to 8 minutes.
Stir in lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste, discard bay leaf.
Serve with extra scallions chopped and a lemon wedge.