Chowder Recipe

For the last few years, I have been making Canada Day lunches with a Canadian flavour or ingredients. Last year we had lobster rolls with Canadian lobster and the year before that we had Maple-glazed Cedar plank Atlantic salmon with Maple donuts for dessert. This year, we are having chowder with Pacific wild-caught salmon, sustainably caught white shrimp from the east coast, PEI potatoes, and Foodland Ontario sweet corn. I used Organic Meadow Canadian milk and butter and served it in beautiful ramekins from the Real Canadian Superstore.

I used leftover lemon-baked salmon in this recipe, but feel free to use uncooked salmon pieces as well. Mussels, lobster, and crab are wonderful additions too. In case you are wondering, this recipe could be vegetarian, with the omission of the seafood.

Chowder – RECIPE

Ingredients:

• Half a large yellow onion, diced
• Half a small fennel bulb, diced
• 2 stalks green onion, chopped
• 6 cloves or garlic, minced
• 3 Tbsp. butter
• 10 mini potatoes, halved
• 2.5 cups sweet corn, steamed
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 cup milk
• 1 cup 35% cream
• 15 white shrimp, cleaned
• 1 cup leftover pieces of salmon
• 1 tsp paprika
• 2 Tbsp. chopped parsley
• 2 Tbsp. chopped dill
• salt to taste
• black pepper to taste
• Optional: chilli flakes

Instructions:

1. In a heavy pot, melt the butter on medium-high heat. Add the onion, fennel, and green onions, and sauté until the onions turn golden and translucent. Add the garlic and stir.
2. Add the potatoes, corn, paprika, and give everything a quick stir. Add the vegetable broth and milk. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook stirring occasionally until the potatoes are tender; approximately 20 minutes.
3. Take two cups worth of the mixture, let it cool slightly and then blend it, before returning it back into the pot.
4. Add the seafood. Increase the temperature to medium and bring the contents of the pot to a boil. Let the seafood cook.
5. Add the cream, herbs, salt, pepper, and chilli flakes if using. Bring the contents of the pot to a boil again. Switch off the stove.
6. Serve warm garnished with more herbs and chilli flakes and biscuits or a crusty bread on the side.

NOTE:

• To make a more flavourful chowder, use fish or seafood broth and raw seafood rather already cooked seafood.
• This chowder can be vegetarian without the addition of seafood. Leave as is or add your choice of summer vegetables such as zucchini.