I attempted to recreate the delicious salmon chowder I had at a little cafe near my work, and I got pretty dang close! It is definitely good enough to share so I’m gonna.
Note on picking your salmon: It’s gonna get chopped up and doused with cream, so there’s no need to shell out (hah, seafood jokes) for the king or sockeye. You’re just making chowder here — this is budget fish’s time to shine. Straight up, I made mine with keta salmon, aka the most basic bitch of the salmon varietals.
Buttery Salmon Chowder
Ingredients
4 tablespoons butter
1 onion
¾ lb red and/or yellow potatoes
2 medium carrots
2 tablespoons flour
1/3 cup sherry (or white wine, vermouth, etc)
3-4 cups fish and/or chicken stock
1 lb salmon
½ cup cream
salt and pepper
Optional but earnestly recommended: fresh bakery sourdough to serve alongside
Begin by prepping all the things that need chopping. Dice up that onion fairly small and set aside. Scrub the potatoes, no need to peel if you don’t want to, and dice those up small too. I do recommend you peel the carrots though, then cut into rounds (half-rounds for the thicker part).
Put a large soup pot over medium heat and melt down your butter. Does that seem like a lot of butter? Well later I’m gonna call for a whole half cup of cream, so make your peace with this recipe’s indulgence now.
Start with the onion, sautéing until it starts to get soft, about 5 minutes. Add the potatoes and carrots, and sauté them as well for another 5 minutes. Sprinkle in the flour, stirring to evenly coat the veggies, and cook for 3 minutes, stirring continuously so the flour doesn’t scorch. Pour in your cooking liquor, stir for a minute, then add the stock a cup at a time, stirring well after each addition. Salt and pepper to taste, but go easy on the salt as you’ll be adding fish, which is naturally a little salty.
At this point you can cover your pot with a lid, lower the heat, and leave it to simmer for 25-30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender. Check on it every once in a while and stir, but mostly you’ll be free to tend to your salmon. Remove the skin and any bones, and cut into bite-size pieces. Go ahead and measure out your cream as well and leave it on the counter to take the chill off.
Once the potatoes are done to your liking, add the salmon and stir gently. It will only need a few minutes to cook through, on the gentlest of simmers. Lower the heat some more until any remaining bubbles stop, add the cream, and let it warm through for another minute. Taste and adjust seasoning once more.
Serve topped with a small pat of butter, a drizzle of cream, and leftover parsley you have on hand if you are me and taking a photograph of this for your blog, and with lightly toasted sourdough if you appreciate the sublime.
A more Official Commission Sheet for my art. Ignore the old post it no longer applies. These are the new prices and a more detailed overview. We'll work out special cases in DMs.
Which is where you can find me if you want a something. :)
You can look through the art tag if you want to see what else I've made, too.
they're nocturnal and tend to roam around while awake.
they have keen senses of smell and hearing, but terrible eyesight. despite this, they also have a tapetum lucidum, making their pupils "glow" in the dark.
their fur is short, dense, and oily to waterproof them.
they prefer a diet of mostly meat and are attracted to strong-smelling food like fish, cheese, and anything fermented.
the elongated dewclaw on each front paw is sharp, flexible, and nonretractable. it injects a venom that causes respiratory failure and cardiac arrest in prey and, in extreme doses, humans. veterenarians typically remove the dewclaw venom glands during the neuter/spay procedure.
they grow to an average of 1m and 23kg (3ft and 50lb) but can reach up to double that length and triple the weight!