Aishling Moore: Here's why seafood chowder is a must-have recipe for home cooking

Aishling Moore: There are a few factors to consider if you want to achieve the perfect pot of hearty chowder. Picture: Chani Anderson.

This weekend I’m sharing my recipe for the ultimate seafood chowder. A must-have recipe for any keen, seafood-loving home cook, there are a few factors to consider if you want to achieve the perfect pot of hearty chowder.

• Stock – If you have the time, it really is worth making your own fish stock. Ask your fishmonger for a few fish bones. A little goes a very long way to producing a well-flavoured stock. Flat fish bones make the best fish stock.
• Fish - The mark of a good chowder is one with a variety of species.
• The inclusion of smoked fish is a non-negotiable for me. Here I’ve used some natural smoked haddock, although smoked pollock would be great too. 
• I love adding shellfish; mussels, cockles and clams all work wonderfully.
• Some diced fresh fish is essential too, like hake, cod or haddock, buy whatever looks freshest.
• Potato - Spuds are a must, taking on all that flavour from the stock as they cook. They will also add great body to the soup.
• Knife skills – It’s important that the potatoes and the fish are both diced to consistent sizes, respectively, to ensure even cooking.
• Aromatics – Sweating the onions, leek and garlic gently is vital to build a solid base of flavour for your soup. Swap leeks for celery or fennel if you wish.

If you’d like to get organised ahead of time of serving, I suggest following the recipe up to the point where the potatoes are cooked. At this stage, the soup can be kept warm before the seafood gets added (just before serving) or chilled completely and brought back to the boil before adding the mussels and diced fish.

Serve in warm bowls with chunks of soda bread smeared generously with lots of salted Irish butter.

Seafood chowder

recipe by:Aishling Moore

Seafood chowder is a must-have recipe for any keen, seafood-loving home cook, there are few factors to consider if you want to achieve the perfect pot of hearty chowder.

Servings

6

Course

 Main

Ingredients

• For the fish stock

• 275g fish bones (stomachs and heads removed)

• 1 tbsp rapeseed oil

• 1 onion sliced

• 1 stick of celery, sliced

• 1 small leek sliced

• 4 cloves garlic

• ½ tsp whole black peppercorns

• 3.5 litre water

• For the soup

• 50g butter

• 1 tbsp rapeseed oil

• 1 large leek, diced

• 1 small onion, diced

• 1 pinch white pepper

• 4 gloves of garlic minced

• 100ml white wine

• 1.5 litre fish stock

• 500g diced potatoes

• 1 tbsp cornflour

• 1kg mussels

• 150g natural smoked haddock diced

• 200g hake diced

• 150ml cream

• 2 tbsp chopped soft herbs such as parsley, dill, chervil

Method

1. To make the fish stock heat a medium-sized pot on a moderate heat. Sweat the chopped leek, onion, celery, garlic, black peppercorns and fish bones in the rapeseed oil for 5 minutes.

2. Add 3.5 litres of cold water and simmer. Cook for 30 minutes, being careful not to allow the stock to come to the boil. Using a ladle skim the surface of the stock to remove any impurities and produce a clear stock.

3. After 30 minutes, strain the stock and discard the vegetables and bones. Set aside.

4. To make the chowder, put a large heavy-based pot on a medium heat and sweat the onion, leek and minced garlic in the butter and rapeseed oil for 10 minutes. Season with sea salt and a pinch of white pepper.

5. Increase the heat to medium-high and add the white wine, bring to the boil and reduce until completely evaporated.

6. Add the fish stock and bring to the boil. Add the potatoes and reduce to a simmer for approximately 10 minutes or until the potatoes are cooked and break apart when pressed with the back of a spoon but still holding their shape.

7. Dissolve the cornflour in 1 tbsp of cold water and add to the soup to thicken. Add the mussels to the pot, cover and cook for 3 minutes. Remove the lid and discard any mussels that haven’t opened.

8. Add the diced smoked haddock and hake and cook for 2 minutes until the fish flakes when pressed. Taste to correct seasoning and finish with cream and chopped herbs.

Fish tales

• A stock should never come to boil, so regulating the temperature is key to avoid a cloudy and bitter-tasting stock.
• If your smoked haddock has the skin on, remove the skin using a very sharp knife and add this to the 1.5 litres of fish stock to infuse and make the most of all that smoky flavour.
• Freeze the leftover fish stock in airtight containers for up to 2 months.
• If you are avoiding dairy, you can simply replace the butter with an extra tablespoon of rapeseed oil. Omit the cream and instead remove two ladles of the cooked potatoes from the soup and blend before returning to the soup. This will lend a similarly velvety texture to the soup.