Salmon Chowder
Nov. 24th, 2006 12:01 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
tylikSome years ago we had salmon chowder as the soup course at one of our Thanksgivings. I'd been wanting, you see, to incorporate salmon into the meal. Salmon was probably served at the first Thansgiving (not that I'm really interested in a strong connected with that) and more to the point is about as thoroughly northwest as you can get. And I like salmon.
The chowder was a great success, and I never served it at Thanksgiving again. The problem is that it is a rich, creamy wonderful soup, that really goes well with the bread we served with the first course. People at multiple servings of chowder. And then they were done. With turkey, lamb, stuffing, potatoes, and dozen other things yet to come. So, it's great chowder, but a lousy first course.
Not sure when next I'll be making this. I've made it a few times for Yule (I usually make a couple of vats of soup and lots of bread for Yule) but being off dairy does kind of take the fun out of it for me... (And while I eat fish, I don't eat it all the time.)
Salmon Chowder
A generous double handful of potatoes (yellow potatoes are my favorite)
Several stalks celery
An onion or two
1/2 to 1 head garlic
salmon (I usually pick up a decent sized filet and cut it into bite sized chunks)
whiskey
cream
roux (optional)
salt and pepper
Put potatoes in a pot, cover with water, simmer until they're just thinking about getting tender. Add onions, celery and garlic increase water if necessary, cook until tender.
Add salmon, and add a generous glug of whiskey. Simmer until the salmon is cooked, which is to say only a couple of minutes.
Add cream. More or less to taste, but hey, this is the tastey part, right?
Add a roux (or some Wondra...) if you'd like to thicken the soup.
Salt and pepper to taste.
The chowder was a great success, and I never served it at Thanksgiving again. The problem is that it is a rich, creamy wonderful soup, that really goes well with the bread we served with the first course. People at multiple servings of chowder. And then they were done. With turkey, lamb, stuffing, potatoes, and dozen other things yet to come. So, it's great chowder, but a lousy first course.
Not sure when next I'll be making this. I've made it a few times for Yule (I usually make a couple of vats of soup and lots of bread for Yule) but being off dairy does kind of take the fun out of it for me... (And while I eat fish, I don't eat it all the time.)
Salmon Chowder
A generous double handful of potatoes (yellow potatoes are my favorite)
Several stalks celery
An onion or two
1/2 to 1 head garlic
salmon (I usually pick up a decent sized filet and cut it into bite sized chunks)
whiskey
cream
roux (optional)
salt and pepper
Put potatoes in a pot, cover with water, simmer until they're just thinking about getting tender. Add onions, celery and garlic increase water if necessary, cook until tender.
Add salmon, and add a generous glug of whiskey. Simmer until the salmon is cooked, which is to say only a couple of minutes.
Add cream. More or less to taste, but hey, this is the tastey part, right?
Add a roux (or some Wondra...) if you'd like to thicken the soup.
Salt and pepper to taste.
