Spectacular Seattle Smoked Salmon Chowder

Ingredients:

  • 6 slices of bacon

  • 3 tablespoons butter

  • 1 medium sweet onion, chopped

  • 2 medium carrots, chopped

  • 2 celery ribs, chopped

  • 1/2 of a red bell pepper, deseeded and chopped

  • 4 tablespoons tomato paste

  • 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced

  • 3 tablespoons All-purpose flour

  • 4 cups chicken stock

  • 1 cup fish or seafood broth

  • 1/4 cup dry white wine

  • 1 cup Half-and-half, room temperature

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • 1 teaspoon paprika

  • 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

  • 1 teaspoon dried dill weed

  • 1/4 teaspoon dried basil

  • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper powder

  • 2 medium Russett potatoes, peeled and chopped into bite size cubes

  • 4 ounces full fat cream cheese, room temperature, cut into very small cubes

  • 1 cup canned whole kernel yellow corn, drained

  • 8 ounces (hot-smoked) smoked salmon, room temperature, chopped

 

Directions:

1. Using a 6-quart Dutch oven or a large pot on medium heat. Cook bacon until crispy. Remove bacon to a paper towel lined plate, let fully cool, then chop.

2. Reduce heat to medium-low. Add butter until melted, scrape bottom of pot to deglaze bacon bits. Add onion, carrot, celery and red bell pepper. Cook for 7 minutes or until soft, stirring occasionally. Stir in tomato paste and garlic, cook for 2 minutes.

3. Slowly stir in flour for 2 minutes until thickened. Add chicken stock, fish or seafood broth, white wine, Half-and-half, salt, paprika, thyme, dill, basil, black pepper and cayenne powder. Stir until combined. Bring to a boil then reduce heat to simmer. Stir in potatoes and cook for 25 minutes or until fork tender.

4. Stir in cream cheese until melted. Gently stir in bacon, corn and smoked salmon. Cook for additional 3 minutes, remove from heat and serve (be careful about overcooking the smoked salmon. Overcooking will cause the smoked salmon to break down and become mushy).

Notes: Use a good quality (hot-smoked) smoked salmon. The texture of hot-smoked holds up better in warmer liquids like soups and chowders. Don’t use a cold-smoked salmon, it will just turn to a sludgy goo.

Make sure the cream cheese is cut into very small cubes so when added to the chowder it melts with ease.

The 3 tablespoons of all-purpose flour will slightly help thicken everything (between a soup and a chowder). The flour helps to bind the vastly different liquids together and keeps things from separating. Creating a chowder with a much better texture and consistency.