Coconut Salmon Chowder

Chowder is a considerable part of New England cuisine. Along the Northeast coast and beyond, from Maine (where I was inspired to make this recipe) to Rhode Island, which makes sense; of course, it's an affordable way to get filled up, and you can customize the soupy stew to be whatever you want it to be. But, most simply, a combination of vegetables and protein in a rich, creamy broth or milk-based mixture thickened with crackers and potatoes. If you are already a chowder fan, I have another version you can check out here with sweet potato and corn. 

I used salmon, which is plentiful in our household, to make fish chowder for this version. When I visit Maine, clam chowder was the most prominent, but you can use almost any fish or ocean dweller for traditional seafood chowder.

Even with a creamy broth, there is a danger of chowder falling flat. So how do you prevent it? 

Taste, taste, taste.

Make sure you add seasoning and taste constantly. Salt, pepper, fresh and dried herbs, whatever compliments your set of ingredients. In this case, salt and pepper and perhaps a little bit more Old bay should do. 

Season the star of the show.

Whatever ingredients you want to highlight in your chowder, make sure it's seasoned! This step can make all the difference. In this case, it's the salmon which I pan-seared and seasoned it with salt, pepper, Old Bay, olive oil, and soy sauce. Even if you use canned salmon, taste and adjust before adding to the chowder.

It pays to use rich stock or broth. 

Most importantly, use a good quality broth or stock! This will be a game-changer for your chowder. If possible, use a homemade helping. Consider adding some parmesan cheese when adding the cream or bacon with the carrots and celery for even more flavour. You could also use bouillon cubes as an alternative. 

Enjoy this recipe as a starter or side, with some additional crackers or fresh, toasted bread. 

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons flour

1 1/2 cups pan-seared/cooked salmon

1 teaspoon salt

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 tablespoon Old Bay seasoning

1 cup chopped carrots

3 garlic, minced

1 cup chopped celery

1 cup chopped onion

1 QT seafood stock or broth

1/2 cup coconut cream

1/2 cup coconut milk

1 cup sweet corn kernels

1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons fresh dill

2 tablespoons cornstarch

4-5 crackers, roughly crushed

1 Russet potato, peeled and diced

Instructions

Prepare your salmon if you don’t have it set aside already.

In a large pot, melt the butter with olive oil. Saute the garlic until fragrant, for about 2 minutes. Bloom the seasoning for about 1 minute, stirring.

Add the onions and cook until transcalent, for about 3 minutes.

Add the carrots, celery, and dill, sweat out for about 4-5 minutes until the vegetables begin to soften. Add extra oil if necessary.

Mix in the diced potato and flour, cook for about 2 minutes. Pour in the stock or broth, coconut cream, and coconut milk. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 20 minutes. Make sure the potatoes are soft to the bite (but not falling apart).

Stir in the salmon, corn, and crackers, heat for about 1-2 minutes before serving hot with crackers or bread. You can add a dollop or splash of cream and fresh dill to garnish.

Corn and Sweet Potato Chowder

As someone who has lived on the East Coast of the United States, close enough to New England, I don't eat enough chowder! On restaurant menus, I always thought it wasn't as exciting enough option to kick off a 3-course menu comparatively speaking.

I had some leftover corn and sweet potatoes in the freezer and decided to make some chowder (basically a soup or stew with some potatoes, corn, and cream or milk thickened with a roux or crackers).

I didn't add any clams or other type of seafood as traditionally used, but I did have some clam juice handy and a few strips of bacon in the fridge to help enhance the flavour of the vegetables.

Dear plant-based eaters, you don't need bacon or clam juice, butter and the vegetable broth is enough!

Ingredients

1 cup sweet corn kernels

1 cup sweet potato, chopped

1 cup clam juice

1 teaspoon butter (use 1 tablespoon if you don't use bacon)

2 strips of bacon, chopped

1 vegetable bouillon

2 cups water

3/4 can coconut milk

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon thyme

1 tablespoon black pepper

2 teaspoons chili powder

2 teaspoons paprika

4 tablespoons flour

1 tablespoon garlic, minced

1/2 white onion, chopped

1 cup carrots, finely chopped

Instructions

Cook the bacon until it starts to get crisp around the edges and the oil seeps out, for about 3-4 minutes. Add the onion and garlic, saute for about 3 minutes until the onions begin to soften.

Add the seasoning and the vegetable bouillon, crush and mix until everything is well incorporated and your pot is flagrant, for about another 2 minutes.

Add the carrots and flour, cook for about 2 additional minutes.

Add the water, corn, sweet potato and clam juice, stirring to make sure there are no lumps or dry bits of flour. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the sweet potatoes are soft. Add additional broth or water if you need it.

Add the coconut milk gradually, stirring to thicken the soup. Let it simmer for another 5-10 minutes. 

Enough for 4, serve with warm bread or crackers!