Salmon Chowder

I try my best not to waste food. However, one cannot make everything into a quiche, which is generally my favorite “clean out the fridge” meal. This is because I try to avoid casseroles. Maybe it has something to do with growing up in Wisconsin and spying those trays of blankity-blank casserole with fried onion and cornflake topping that has made me wary, but I’m not a casserole kind of girl, at least not yet.

Save your wild salmon for regular eatin', but instead use farm raised, sustainable salmon for this chowder.

This last weekend I had an abundance of dairy-fresh 2% milk. My boyfriend and I go to the farmer’s market each week and get ourselves a half gallon, but somehow this week we hadn’t managed to finish a good deal of it. I had even baked a tray of blondies with the intention of downing them with some milk, but there was still a couple of cups left, and so, thinking of the frozen farm-raised salmon I had in the fridge, I thought: CHOWDA. I’ve never made a salmon chowder before, but I’ve done many with cod, so I figured I could apply the same methods and come out with something edible.

And if I may pat myself on the back, it turned out pretty good.

Extra milk wasn’t the only ingredient on the verge (of expiration) that I had to use up. On our way back from the beach two weekends ago, we’d stopped at a farmstand and picked up, among other things, a few ears of corn. Some of the corn was meant to be paired with some spareribs, but there was still ample corn to be had. Also, I had way too many carrots in the crisper turning funny colors, and so I had to salvage those, too with some washing and peeling.

Thank goodness for hearty root vegetables. (If you aren’t already–learn not to fear a little discoloration so long as you can chop or peel off the offending area! )

All that said, this is what I came up with. I was going to save some for lunch tomorrow, but the boyfriend and I polished it off by lunchtime today. So instead, for lunch? BORSCHT. Lots of it. Like, enough for a small Ukranian village. But that recipe is for another time.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons butter
• 2 cups diced yellow onions
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 3 cups chicken broth
• 2 cups 2% milk
• 1 cup corn niblets (fresh or frozen)
• 2 cups potatoes, cubed
• 1 cup carrots, diced
• 4 tablespoons flour
• 1 lb. uncooked salmon
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon Old Bay seasoning
• 1/4 salt
• chopped, fresh parsley to top

Directions

1. Melt butter in a large stock pot. Add the 2 cups of diced yellow onions and sauté on medium heat for 6-7 minutes, adding garlic about 4 minutes in, and cook until golden.
2. Add chicken stock to the pot and turn the burner to high heat. Add potatoes, carrots, and corn to the stock pot and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer for 20-25 minutes until the potatoes and carrots are tender.
3. Cube the uncooked salmon until 1/2 inch cubes and set aside.
4. Add flour to milk and whisk well so there are no lumps. Add mixture to the stock pot and gently stir to incorporate.
5. Add cubed salmon. Cook on medium for another 6-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Remove from heat and add salt, pepper, and Old Bay.
7. Top with fresh parsley and serve hot.

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Tags: chowder, Fish, Salmon, Soup