I was home in Ireland recently and went to a small pub called Johnny Foxes (actually the highest pub in Ireland) with Mrs AnotherFoodBlogger. We both had a hankering for some chowder, and we figured why not be tourists in our hometown for a minute. It got me thinking that I hadn't made a good chowder for my website. So, I created this delicious salmon chowder for you all to enjoy!
sponsored by Dandelion Vineyard, Mclaren Vale
Why I Love This Recipe
Oh man, there are so many reasons to love a good bowl of salmon chowder - where does one start?
- comforting
- perfect on a cool evening or a spring day!
- filling
- ready in 30 minutes
- tasty AF
If this isn't enough to get your juices flowing, then I'm not sure what is, to be honest! The fact there are only 10 minutes of prep involved is, well, a lifesaver when you are trying to entertain kids or simply relax. It's PACKED full of vegetables with a load of healthy salmon to boot too. It's a great dish to serve at a dinner party and can be eaten as an appetizer or as a main course #winning
How To Make Salmon Chowder
Ingredients Needed
To make this simple and delicious dish, you are going to need the following.
- fish - I used salmon as my base (I guess the heading gave that away), but you can also use prawns, squid, trout, cod, clams and/or mussels to
- bacon - I recommend nice smokey bacon if possible, oh and use streaky
- vegetables - the beauty of salmon chowder or any chowder is it's packed with veggies! Potatoes, celery & carrots are the usual suspects, but I've added some fennel in there too for a little anise kick
- liquids - can't have a chowder/soup without liquids, can you? Milk, cream, stock and white wine are the go here. Deglaze the pan with the wine to burn off the alcohol. I prefer fish stock, but you can also use vegetables or even chicken too!
- optional garnishes - the salmon chowder is gonna be EPIC no matter what, but a few little garnishes take it to restaurant-level stuff. Cracked pepper, a squeeze of lemon, fennel fronds and some parsley make it look well - perfection!
Cooking Salmon Chowder
The beauty of this dish isn't only in the taste but the fact that you only need to spend 10 minutes preparing it and a further 20 minutes cooking it. A restaurant-worthy dish on your table in 30 minutes? Yes, frickin please!
There are more detailed steps below with the exact quantities, too, but this will give you a good idea of what to do from the images!
- Gather your ingredients - the best way to cook is to have everything ready to go when you start. It takes a few minutes to get set up, but it'll make everything WAY quicker
- Pour some wine - because, why not?
- Prep the veg - dice up your vegetables into 1cm pieces, and try to cut them as evenly as possible, so they cook together
- Cut the salmon into 2cm (bite-sized) pieces - you want the salmon to cook evenly and not have any raw bits so as equal as possible
- Start then by frying the bacon, then adding the vegetables and deglazing the pan with the wine
- Next, add stock, milk & cream and simmer
- Finally, add the salmon and cook for 3-4 minutes
- Then, garnish the sh1t out of it and enjoy!
Wine Pairing
Another CRACKER from Dandelion Vineyards! I simply can't fault any of their wines. They have such a great selection that no matter the weather, occasion or meal being cooked, there is something to fit the mould.
This week we are getting stuck into a grape you don't see being used a huge amount here in Australia - Rousanne. It's real food-friendly wine, but I find I like it best with seafood and/or creamy dishes so, with my salmon chowder, you have both! It's most popular in the Rhone region and is typically blended with Marsanne.
The Dandelion Honeypot Rousanne is a wine that you can enjoy perfectly on its own on a warm day or alongside a bowl of delicious chowder on a cooler afternoon! It's textural, highly aromatic with honey nectar, loads of acidity, and citrus in the form of lemon with gooseberries too. Described as the "classier version" of Savvy B, I can easily get stuck into a few bottles with friends over a Sunday afternoon 😉
Alternative Fish Recipes
Inspired by my delicious salmon chowder and need more seafood in your life? Check out these recipes below that are on my site too!
- Grilled Swordfish w/ Charred Spring Onion Salsa
- Asian Kingfish Crudo
- Crispy Fish Tacos w/ Apple Jalapeno Dressing
- Gourmet Fish Pie
- Grilled Salmon and Ancient Grain Salad
Happy Cooking & Happy Eating Friends!!
Ingredients
- 400 g skinless salmon cut into bite sized pieces approx. 2cm cubes
- 6 slices smoked bacon cut into lardons
- 6 small kipfler potatoes quartered
- 100 g carrot diced
- 60 g celery diced
- 100 g fennel thinly sliced
- 500 ml fish stock
- 150 ml milk
- 200 ml heavy cream
- 150 ml white wine
- 3 tbsp flour
- 50 g butter
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- salt
Optional Garnish
- parsley
- cracked pepper
- lemon juice
- fennel fronds
Essential Tools
- Chef Knives
- Chopping board
- measuring/weighing utensils
- saucepan
- wooden spoon/spatula
Instructions
- Fry the bacon in oil/butter for 2 mins
- Add vegetables & salt and cook for 5 mins
- Stir in the flour and add the wine
- Add stock, milk & cream and simmer for 8-9 mins
- Add salmon and simmer for 3-4 mins, taste and add salt as necessary
- Serve with cracked pepper, parsley leaves, fennel fronds and a squeeze of lemon juice
Notes
Tips/Tricks
- if your chowder is too thick add a little more cream/milk to it
- if your chowder is too thin then you can mix 1 tsp cornflour to 1 tbsp water and stir it in
- chowder is best eaten on day of making but will keep for 2-3 days in the fridge
- I wouldn’t recommend freezing it as the milk/cream can separate when reheating
- you can add any white fish, mussels, scallops or calamari to bulk up the fish content
- if you can’t get kipfler potatoes then you can use new potatoes instead
this sounds so delicious gavin. and i love the look of it too. i must try making this. happy christmas to you.
Thanks Sherry - I hope you enjoy it when you make it 😉 Have a GREAT Christmas
This recipe is AMAZING! Hearty, delicious, full of flavour. It is a meal in itself. So easy to make, with great instructions here in the recipe.
Thanks Gavin!
Wow. I absolutely love this. And there usually isn't salmon in chowder, is there?! Why not?! Can't wait to make it, thanks!