Fall recipes: Salmon chowder

October 16, 4:42 PMPittsburgh Cooking ExaminerShannon McConnell

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Photo courtesy of Susan Hays atTimeless Gourmet

This is actually a recipe that I made for Christmas one year and it went over so well, that it's become a staple in our Feast of the Seven Fishes.  Everyone liked it so much that it became an all around cold weather food, and with the serious cold front we've been having, this recipe should just about hit the spot.

I do almost all of my shopping at ALDI's for this soup.  It is simple, and delicious. 

Salmon chowder

Ingredients:

• 1 bag of frozen salmon fillets from ALDI or local grocer
• 4 or 5 finely diced ribs of celery
• 1 large vidalia onion diced fine
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 can diced stewed tomatoes
• 2 reular sized cans or one large can of whole new potatoes roughly chopped
• 1 bag of 30 - 35 frozen shrimp, thawed, rinsed and cleaned (tails off)
• 2 cups of small scallops
• 3 - 4 cups of milk
• 2-3 tsbp flour
• Salt
• Pepper
• Basil

Directions:

In the bottom of a very large soup pot, put 2 tbsp of olive oil, and begin to cook the celery and onions together. Once they are mostly cooked, pour in the whole can of diced stewed tomatoes including the juice.  Dice the potatoes and throw those in as well including the juice and stir the pot so nothing sticks to the bottom. 

While the salmon filets are still frozen, dice them in to smallish squares and put them in to the pot with the scallops.  Once the salmon has turned a very light pink color, add the milk and stir the pot. 

Ladel out a few cup fulls in to a mixing bowl once the milk is hot enough and add the flour to thicken the soup making sure to whisk the mixture thoroughly to avoid lumps in the soup.  Add the mixture back to the soup and stir to incorporate through the whole pot.  Add 2 tbsp of basil, and stir the pot again. 

Put the lid on and let the chowder simmer for at least 10 minutes on medium heat, stirring occasionally.  Once the 10 minutes has passed, add salt and pepper to your desired taste.  The consistency should be thick and chunky.

In the bottom of a bowl, place a handful (4-5) of the rinsed peeled, and cleaned shrimp and then ladel the hot soup on top of the shrimp to complete the dish. 

This soup tastes best when it has rested for a little more than an hour.  The residual heat from the soup pot will keep it hot, and the extra hour gives the soup time to thicken and let the flavors blend together.

Serve with a big chunk of crusty bread and enjoy!