Seafood Chowder
Seafood chowder is a delicious soup based on fish stock made into a veloute ( stock thickened with butter and flour than finished with cream ) with seafood added. Think mornay lobster without the cheese and more seafood. The beautiful aromatics come from the thyme, garlic and stock while a subtle smokey flavour from the paprika and bacon
There is 3 popular methods to thickening a Chowder. The technique in this recipe is using a Roux, which is butter and flour. Second method is adding potatoes and let the starch thicken the chowder and the third is at the end of the process using a cornflour slurry to thicken. You can use 1 or all of the mentioned methods
Chowder is very different to Bisque in texture. Although both have vegetables and stock based, a Bisque is smooth whereas a Chowder is chunky. Both recipes is started the same way with butter, flour and stock. Than add meat, vegetables, cream or milk is added. Once cooked a chowder is then served chunky where as the bisque is blended to a sauce consistency
Seafood Chowder
Ingredients
Mirepoix
- 50 g Brown Onion Brunoise
- 50 g Carrot Brunoise
- 50 g Leek Brunoise
- 50 g Celery Brunoise
- 3 ea Garlic Cloves
- 100 g Bacon Shredded or diced
- 50 ml Vegetable Oil
Soup Base
- 50 g Butter
- 50 g Plain Flour
- 500 ml Fish Stock
- 500 ml Cream
- 2 pinch Paprika Smokey
- 2 sticks Thyme
- 2 ea Bay leaf
Seafood
- 200 g Salmon Cubed
- 200 g Barramundi Cubed
- 8 ea Green Prawns peeled
- 100 g Scallops
- 2 ea Squid Tubes Sliced
Garnish
- 1 ea Roma Tomato Deseeded and Brunoise
- 1 pinch Parsley Chopped
Instructions
- Heat oil in a pot. Add onion, bacon and minced garlic for saute for 1 minute. Add carrot, celery and leek. Continue to saute for another minute without colour. Put aside.
- In a pot, start the soup base by melting the butter than adding the flour to make a blonde roux. Turn the burner off.
- While the roux is hot, slowly whisk in all the stock. Turn the burner back on and bring the mixture to the boil. Than whisk in the cream and paprika.
- Add the seafood, vegetables and herbs to the soup. Simmer for 10 minutes or until seafood is fully cooked.
- Ladel into a Bowl than garnish with tomato and parsley
