Prawn
Seafood chowder
Serve in a deep dish with plenty of bread and butter.
Ingredients:
- 1 tbsp olive or sunflower oil
- 110g/4oz streaky bacon, rind removed, cut into 5mm/¼ in dice
- 175-225g/6-8oz onions, chopped
- 25g/1oz flour
- 850ml/1½ pints homemade fish stock or, if no fish stock, water
- 425ml/¾ pint milk
- bouquet garni made up of 6 parsley stalks, 2 sprigs of thyme and 1 bay leaf
- 6 medium-sized potatoes, e.g. golden wonder, cut into 5mm/¼ in dice.
- salt and freshly ground pepper
- pinch of mace
- pinch of cayenne pepper
- 700g/1½ lb haddock, monkfish, cod or other firm white fish (or a mixture), free of bones and skin
- 150ml/¼ pint single cream
- 450g/1lb mixed cooked shellfish - mussels, clams, scallops, shrimps or prawns and the cooking liquor.
- freshly chopped parsley and chives
- crusty bread and butter
Directions:
- Heat the oil in a stainless-steel saucepan and brown the bacon well until it is crisp and golden.
- Add the onion, cover and sweat for a few minutes over a low heat. Stir in the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes.
- Add the fish stock or water gradually. Add the milk, bouquet garni and potatoes. Season well with salt, pepper, mace and cayenne.
- Cover and simmer until the potatoes are almost cooked, approximately 5-6 minutes. (The chowder may be prepared ahead to this point.)
- Cut the fish into 2.5cm /1in cubes. Add to the pot as soon as the tip of a knife will go through a potato.
- Simmer gently for 3-4 minutes, stir in the cream and add the shellfish. Add any liquor obtained from opening the mussels or clams. When boiling, remove from the heat.
- Taste, correct the seasoning and sprinkle with freshly chopped parsley and chives.
- Serve in a deep dish with plenty of bread and butter.