Seafood Chowder

If there's one thing you can guarantee is going to be amazing on an island - it's the seafood dishes. This particular mash-up really reminds me of Ireland because it's a hearty & super comforting meal and, let's face it, because it's seafood and potatoes! In my opinion, you can't really get much better. Chowder in particular reminds me of childhood summers spent in Donegal.

If there's one thing i'd advise with this dish, it's to buy quality seafood. We bought ours from the friendly fishmonger at St. George's Market so source yourself a good one in your local area - it's well worth the effort!

To make 6 (hearty) servings you will need:

You will need:

1 Cup New or Red Potatoes
2 Stalks Celery
2 Carrots
1 Large Yellow Onion
3 Rashers Streaky Bacon
1/2 cup Flour
2 tbsp Tomato Puree w/ Chilli
1.5 Litres Fish Stock

1 Cup Dry White Wine
225g Butter
1/2 Cup Corn
900g Mixed Seafood*
200g Mussels
2-3 tbsp Double Cream (optional)
Chopped Parsley (to garnish)
Salt and Pepper (to season)

*We used salmon, haddock, crab and cod but feel free to use anything else you can get your hands on. Scallops and shrimp are especially good!

1. Dice the bacon, carrots, onion, celery and potatoes. Chop the mixed seafood into sizable chunks (1-2 inches)

2. Add the bacon to a large saucepan and fry until golden.

3. Add butter, when melted and frothy add in the vegetables and saute for around 15mins until most of the veggies are soft and the potatoes are just barely cooked. Season with salt & pepper

4. Reduce to the lowest heat and add the tomato puree. Coat mixture then add flour and keep stirring whilst the raw flour taste is cooked out.

5. After 2-3 minutes, add the wine in slowly while stirring constantly at first to ensure there are no lumps of flour (you can switch to a whisk if you find that easier).

6. Add in the fish stock and bring heat up to high to allow the mixture to boil, then reduce to a simmer. Taste and adjust seasoning.

7. Add seafood and cook for a further 5 minutes before adding the mussels for the last 3-4 minutes.

8. If you prefer a creamier chowder, add 2tbsp double cream to the pot off the heat.

9. Serve garnished with chopped parsley.

We love to eat this with some wheaten bread on cold evenings. It's a dish that can seem time consuming and difficult, but is really pretty simple and yields amazing reward for the effort! Hopefully you will enjoy as much as we do.