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Irish seafood chowder
West-coast chowder with mussels, smoked fish and salmon
Along Ireland's west coast, from Galway Bay to the harbours of Kerry and West Cork, nearly every pub kitchen has its own seafood chowder, served with a thick slice of brown bread and butter. It is chunkier and smokier than the American kind: fresh mussels, a piece of smoked haddock or coley, salmon and white fish poached in a creamy base with leek, celery and potato, finished with dill. Chef's tip: add the fish in order of cooking time and take the pot off the heat as soon as it is just done; it keeps cooking in the hot soup.
- Total time
- 55 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 6
Ingredients
For the mussels
For the chowder
Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Check 1 ⅛ lb fresh mussels: throw away any with broken shells and any open ones that do not close when tapped. Put the rest in a large pan with ¾ cup water, cover and cook over a high heat for 3–4 minutes, shaking, until opened. Discard any that stay shut. Strain, keeping the liquid, and pull most mussels from their shells, keeping a few in shell to garnish.
10 minStep 2: Melt 1 ⅜ oz butter in a large pot and cook 1 onion, 1 leek and 2 sticks celery over a medium heat for 8 minutes until soft. Stir in 2 tbsp plain flour for 1 minute.
9 minStep 3: Gradually stir in 3 ¼ cups fish stock and the strained mussel liquid (leave any grit behind). Add 14 oz potatoes and 1 bay leaf and simmer for 12 minutes until the potatoes are just tender.
14 minStep 4: Add 9 oz undyed smoked haddock or coley and 9 oz hake or cod fillet and simmer gently for 3 minutes, then add 9 oz salmon fillet and cook 2 minutes more until all the fish is opaque and just flakes. A common mistake is stirring hard at this stage; stir gently so the fish stays in chunks.
5 minStep 5: Pour in ¾ cup single cream, add the mussels and heat through without boiling. Stir in 2 tbsp fresh dill, 1 tbsp lemon juice and ½ tsp black pepper, remove the bay and taste for salt (the smoked fish is salty). Serve at once.
3 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 390 kcal
- Protein
- 36 g
- Carbs
- 20 g
- Fat
- 18 g
- Fibre
- 2 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does irish seafood chowder take?
- About 55 minutes in total: 25 minutes to prepare and 30 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 6 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- What can I use instead of butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
- What can I use instead of onion?
- 2 shallots per onion.
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