Good Ol’ Days Style Chowder with Steelhead
I tried to recreate this chowder in a similar style that I remember from my childhood at Oregon coast restaurants. Fresh seafood swimming in a sea of seasonal garden veggies. These days I frequently find chowder to be a white gloppy mess. This was my first attempt at cooking this recipe with fish rather than clams and it worked out really well. If your buddy happens to be the best fisherman in the whole wide world you will find that you have a lot of fish on hand to inspire new recipes. All your wildest fishing dreams can come true by contacting Small Stream Outfitters. I first made this with some leftover steelhead that I had BBQ’d and later tried some store bought smoked salmon both options worked well. If you have the whole fish simply add the head and backbone to my garden stock recipe to make a nice fish stock.
Good Ol’ Days Style Chowder with Steelhead
6-10 oz cooked steelhead or smoked salmon (my Wood Fired Salmon on a Maple Log would be great here)
2 med russet potatoes, peeled
3 carrots
2 stalks celery
1 shallot minced
4 cups fish, Garden Stock, or chicken stock
dried dill
fresh chives
peas
butter
salt
cracked pepper
Bring pot of water to a boil and chop the peeled potatoes into dice sized cubes. Cook potatoes until tender but do not overcook. When they are done, strain and separate equally into two bowls. Put pot back on stove and reduce temp to medium, adding one tbsp of butter to same pot. Add minced shallot and cook for a few minutes, turn temp down to low and cook about 10 minutes more until it caramelizes. Next add chopped carrots, celery, salt and cook 3 minutes more. Add stock and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes. Meanwhile mash 1/2 of the potatoes with a fork or potato masher. Add the mashed potatoes to the simmering water and continue to summer for a few more minutes. Add peas now if using fresh, add at end if frozen. Next add fish in chunks, dill, and reserved potatoes and remove from heat. Ladle into bowls and garnish with as much butter, chives, and cracked pepper to each bowl as you wish. I use a fair amount of each. Stirring in a little whole milk or cream at the end would not hurt either.
by the handful 