Perfect for fish lovers, our Fish Chowder recipe offers a great combination of flavours from the vegetable and fish mix. You can vary the types of fish and vegetables depending on your preferences and availability. Perfect as a main course with freshly baked bread, for lunch or as a starter for a meal.
- Serves: 2-4
- Preparation Time: 15 minutes approx
- Cooking Time: 40 minutes approx
- Ready In: 55 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 Salmon Fillet
- 1 Thick Cod Fillet
- 1 Smoked Haddock Fillet
- Raw (uncooked) Peeled King Prawns (approx 100 g)
- 2 medium Potatoes – cut into ½ inch cubes
- 2 Onions – chopped
- 1 medium Carrot – chopped
- 1 Red Bell Pepper – diced
- 2 Celery Sticks – chopped
- 1 Leek – chopped
- 2 Garlic Cloves – chopped or crushed
- 125 g Sweetcorn – frozen or tinned
- 2-3 tbsp Rapeseed or Olive Oil
- 750 ml Semi Skimmed Milk
- 100 ml Single Cream
- 25 g Butter or butter substitute approx
- 2 Chicken or Vegetable Stock Cubes (to make 1 litre of stock)
- 25 g Plain Flour
- 1 tbsp Modena Vinegar (Balsamic)
- Salt & Pepper to taste
- 2 Bay Leaves
- ½ tsp Turmeric
- Shave or two of Nutmeg (approx 1/8 teaspoon)
- Squeeze of Lemon Juice
- Handful of fresh Parsley (optional)
Method
- Fill a saucepan with warm water and bring to the boil
- Once boiled, add the cubed potato and boil for approx 8 minutes (the potatoes should remain fairly firm; test by pushing a skewer into the potato and adjust boiling time if necessary)
- Whilst the potatoes are boiling, heat some oil in a frying pan then fry the onion, carrot, red pepper and leek for 2-3 mins on a high heat, stirring until golden brown
- Add the garlic and celery and lightly fry for a further 4-5 mins
- After approx 8 minutes, remove the potatoes from the saucepan. Heat oil in a 2nd non-stick frying pan and fry the potato cubes for approx 5 minutes until they start to brown
- Make up your stock whilst the potatoes are browning
- Add the flour to the vegetables in the frying pan and keep turning for 2-3 minutes until the mixture starts to ‘stodge’ a little without burning
- Transfer the vegetable mix to a large stockpot, adding a little butter
- Add 1/3rd of your stock to the stockpot and keep stirring, gradually adding a little more until you have used ½ in total
- Gradually add ½ the milk to the stockpot and stir gently
- Add salt, pepper, turmeric and nutmeg to the stockpot
- As the main vegetable mixture simmers, add the remaining stock and milk together with a dash of Modena vinegar
- Add the sweetcorn to the stockpot
- When ready, add the browned potato cubes to the stockpot and stir the ingredients well
- Reduce the heat then simmer for 15 mins, checking occasionally to make sure the mixture is not burning or sticking to the bottom of the pan. Add a little more milk if required
- Whilst the stockpot is simmering, fry your fish (not prawns) in a frying pan with a little olive oil for approx 6-8 mins, ensuring the fish does not dry out
- Add the uncooked prawns to the frying pan and fry for 3 mins (if using cooked prawns, add to the stockpot at the end)
- Squeeze a little lemon juice onto the fish & prawns
- Once cooked, remove any visible bones then add the fish and prawns to the main stockpot together with the bay leaves, stirring carefully
- Simmer for 10 minutes. The fish will usually break up into smaller pieces during this time
- After 10 minutes, remove the bay leaves and add the cream. Bring back to simmer to ensure the chowder is hot. Do not boil the cream or it will separate.
- Add a little fresh parsley on top when serving (optional)
Equipment
- Non-stick frying pan
- Medium sized saucepan
- Large stainless steel stockpot
- Flat Spatula suitable for non-stick pans
- Measuring jug
- Measuring spoons
Hints & Tips
- Large shell on King Prawns will give more flavour. Ensure that all the shell is removed before serving
- If tasting the soup do not be alarmed by the strong flavours, the cream will take some of the strength away once added at the end
- For safety reasons, never reheat the prawns in the soup
- Wash the leeks to remove any soil and remove the harder green outer layers which can be cooked once clean
- When boiling the cubed potatoes, remove the saucepan from the hob when ready as they will continue to cook if left on the hot ring