TasteFood: Make this rich, yet light fish chowder

Salmon stars in this creamy, cozy, easy-to-make chowder.

When the weather is gray and cold, it’s time to pull out the big bowls. Winter soups and stews are hefty and can lean rich. They’re meant to encourage slurping with big spoons and passing napkins to catch wayward dribbles. Piping hot, bobbing with chunky vegetables, wilted greens and the protein of your choice, these bowls will warm you from the inside out.

When bowl-food beckons, consider making a chowder. Chowders are popular in the summer by the seashore, but they are equally enticing in front of the fire in the winter. A chowder can range from a creamy, white New England-style chowder to a thinner, tomato-based Manhattan-style chowder. This chowder leans to New England, yet keeps the broth relatively light, encouraging second helpings without remorse. (After all, we are still recovering from the holidays!)

In this recipe, the base of the stock is chicken stock — yes, chicken stock! The stock adds welcome umami richness and depth of flavor. A little milk or cream is added to finish, which is a wonderful shortcut to reducing some of the fat normally associated with a rich and creamy chowder. Chunks of buttery salmon lend additional oily richness to the soup. Cauliflower and spinach add chunky, leafy heartiness and balance the soup with earthy freshness.

Other fish can be combined with the salmon in the chowder. Choose thick, firm-fleshed white fish that holds its shape and won’t dissolve in the broth while cooking.

Salmon Chowder

Serves 4 to 6

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 medium onion, chopped

1 small fennel bulb, halved and thinly sliced

2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

4 cups chicken stock (or 2 cups water plus 2 cups chicken stock), plus more as needed

2 medium Yukon gold potatoes, about 10 ounces, diced

1½ to 2 cups cauliflower florets, in bite-size pieces

1 teaspoon sweet paprika

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/4 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for garnish

1 cup whole milk or half-and-half

1 to 1¼ pounds salmon filet, skin and pin-bones removed, cut in 1-inch chunks

1 heaping cup baby spinach

2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill, plus more for garnish

DIRECTIONS

Heat the oil and melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Add the onion and fennel and saute until softened, about 2 minutes. Add the flour and cook, stirring to lightly toast, 1 to 2 minutes. Add 1 cup stock and whisk to blend the flour.

Add the remaining stock, potatoes, cauliflower, paprikas, cayenne, kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. There should be enough liquid to cover the vegetables. If not, add enough stock or water to cover. Simmer, partially covered, until the vegetables are tender, 15 to 20 minutes.

Add the salmon and continue to simmer until the fish is cooked, 6 to 8 minutes.

Add the spinach and stir until wilted, about 1 minute. Stir in the dill and taste for seasoning.
Ladle the soup into bowls. Garnish with fresh dill and additional black pepper. Serve immediately.

Lynda Balslev is a San Francisco Bay Area cookbook author, food and travel writer and recipe developer.