Chowder Featuring Seafood and Sea Greens

A Culinary Voyage: Create a Seafood Chowder to Remember

Delve into the art of cooking with this delightful seafood chowder recipe. Perfect for cozy nights and impressing your guests, this chowder blends the richness of mussels, clams, and the warmth of spices into a creamy delight that will warm your soul and tantalize your taste buds.

Cooking Time

Prepare to dedicate around 1 hour 30 minutes for this culinary adventure, with approximately 40 minutes of active cooking and 30 minutes of simmering time.

Ingredients

• For the Stock:
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 1 large yellow onion, finely chopped
• 2 medium carrots, finely chopped
• 2 medium celery stalks, finely chopped
• 1/2 cups dry hard cider
• 7 cups water
• 1/2 ounces dried kelp or kombu
• 10 sprigs of thyme
• 5 garlic cloves, minced
• 3 fresh bay leaves
• 1/2 pounds mussels, cleaned
• 1/2 pounds littleneck clams, cleaned
• For the Chowder:
• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 medium yellow onion, diced
• 4 medium russet potatoes, peeled and cubed
• 3 medium leeks, finely diced
• 2 teaspoons fine sea salt, or as desired
• 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 1 pound pollock or cod fillets, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
• 2 tablespoons fresh dill, with extra for decoration
• Additional Ingredient:
• Finely ground nori for garnish

Preparation Steps

Start the journey by heating canola oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Toss in onions, carrots, and celery, stirring until they soften and brown slightly, which should take around 10 to 14 minutes. Add the dry hard cider and let it cook until the liquid has reduced by half, approximately 12 to 15 minutes.

Next, introduce the water, kelp, thyme, garlic, and bay leaves to the pot. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat and then reduce the temperature to medium-low, allowing it to simmer uncovered. This should meld the flavors together and reduce the liquid to about 4.5 cups over 40 minutes.

Once the stock is ready, gently place the mussels and clams into the pot, covering it to let them cook until their shells open, which will take 8 to 15 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to retrieve the opened shellfish and transfer them to a bowl. Discard any shells that did not open, letting the meat cool for about 5 minutes before removing it from the shells.

Strain the stock through a fine-mesh sieve, discarding the solids while reserving the liquid.

In the clean Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium-high heat, adding the onion until it's translucent, around 6 to 8 minutes. Stir in the potatoes, leeks, salt, and the reserved stock. Bring this mixture to a boil before lowering the heat to medium-low. Let it simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally until the potatoes become tender, which should take 20 to 25 minutes.

Next, stir in the heavy cream and gently bring the chowder back to a simmer. Add the pollock, cooking it until almost fully cooked, which should take 2 to 3 minutes. Now, incorporate the reserved mussel and clam meat, allowing the chowder to heat through.

Once everything is heated, stir in the fresh dill and adjust the salt to your taste. Serve this delicious chowder in bowls, garnishing with ground nori and additional dill.

Preparation Tips

You can prepare the stock ahead of time through the initial steps and refrigerate it for up to three days. Also, be sure to check your local grocery store’s international foods aisle for kelp or dried kombu.