Hey Everyone! It’s less than a week until Christmas and we’re serving up this Herbed Seafood Chowder. It’s a perfect quick dinner to impress your holiday guests
How’s everyone doing this close to Christmas? Have you been ready since last month? If so, I envy you. I’m a procrastinator by nature, but a few small tasks aside, I’m actually doing pretty good this year! As I write this, my tree and lights are up, shopping is done, and we even have a bit of baking done! Both myself and Nicole are working this Christmas, so we are taking a bit of time before the holidays to relax and enjoy the season while we can. Which brings us back to this super delicious chowder…
So, the basis for this chowder actually started in November for my birthday. I wanted something that was comforting, quick, and easy – something akin to a traditional Newfoundland fish stew. But I was also feeling a bit sluggish and didn’t want something quite as heavy. How could one dish check all those boxes? A quick google search provided Rodney Bower’s Cod Stew recipe. Well, Nicole’s boyfriend is a pescetarian, so we omitted the salt pork. Also, it was my birthday and I really wanted some scallops, mussels and shrimp to make it feel a bit more special. Then of course Mom went a bit too heavy on the stock and wine, and instead of a stew, we basically had a light chowder. Then the fresh herbs went in (I chose dill and chives) and a bit of heavy cream because what’s a chowder without cream? And gentle Jesus was it good.
Obviously ours was quite different from the original, but we have gotta give props to Rodney’s recipe for such a solid base of flavours. It’s basically the perfect balance of home-cooked comfort with restaurant-style fancy flair. We’ve made this dish a few times for guests now because it’s so quick to pull together and leaves everyone impressed. We’ll definitely be hauling it out again over the holidays when we want to relax with our guests rather than slave away in the kitchen.
Herbed Seafood Chowder
Ingredients
- 2 tbsp salted butter
- 1 large sweet onion finely diced
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 3/4 cup good quality dry white wine
- 1.5 lbs new or fingerling potatoes diced
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 bay leaf
- 1.5 cups seafood stock
- 450 grams cod fillet roughly diced
- 350 grams scallops
- 400 grams raw shrimp peeled and veined
- 1 kg live mussels
- 2 tbsp fresh dill chopped
- 2 tbsp fresh chives chopped
- 5-6 tbsp heavy cream for serving
- salt & pepper to taste
Instructions
- Heat a large dutch oven or stock pot over medium heat and add butter. Add the onion to the pan and saute for 5-10 minutes or until softened. Add the garlic and saute for 1 more minute.
- Add the white wine, potatoes, thyme, and bay leaf & bring to a simmer. Add the fish stock, bring back up to a simmer, and cover, until potatoes are almost fork-tender, about 20 minutes.
- Add the cod & seafood, and cover. Turn up the heat to return to simmer if necessary. Cook until the mussels have opened and the cod begins to flake apart, about 10-15 minutes.
- Remove the lid and add the fresh herbs. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add a spoonful of heavy cream to each bowl as serving, and serve with plenty of bread.
