Seafood Chowder
INGREDIENTS:
600g smoked cod fillets
1 litre (4 cups) milk
8 black peppercorns
4 shortcut bacon rashers
40g butter
1 medium leek sliced thinly
1½ tbs flour
1 cup dry white wine
4 medium potatoes
small tin corn kernels
12 green prawn cutlets
300ml thickened cream
2 tbs chopped flat leaf parsley
Needs a lot of attention, and time is up there for a soup.
Gradually add wine, and stir until mixture boils and thickens.
Add potato, corn and reserved milk. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered, stirring occasionally for about twenty minutes or until the potato is tender.
Meanwhile discard the skin and any bones from the fish. Flake the fish into large pieces and add to the chowder with the cream and green prawns. Cook. Stirring gently until heated through and the prawns are just done.
Remove from the heat and stir in the parsley.
Ladle evenly into serving bowls and sprinkle the top with crispy bacon.
Serves six as an entree or four as a main.
Peel and chop the potatoes into 1cm cubes. Microwave to par boil until just softening. Drain and set aside.
Pour half the milk into a heavy based frying pan. Heat on cooktop until almost boiling, and then turn off the heat. Place fish in the milk and leave for 10 minutes Drain the fish; discarding the milk. Add the remaining milk and the peppercorns to the fish in the pan. Heat until almost at the boil again, and then drain over a large bowl. Reserve the milk and fish seperately, discarding the peppercorns.
Cook bacon in the same cleaned heated pan, stirring until brown and crisp. Remove and drain onto absorbent paper.
Melt butter in the same cleaned heated pan. Cook leek, stirring until softened. Add flour and cook, stirring, until leek is fully coated, and flour has cooked a little.
GREAT AS AN ENTREE OR A MAIN. SERVE WITH WARM BREAD ROLLS AS A MAIN COURSE, AND ENCOURAGE DIPPING!
THE FIRST COOKING OF THE FISH IN HALF THE MILK IS AN ESSENTIAL STEP TO REMOVE ANY SALTINESS IN THE COD. DON'T LET IT BOIL ON EITHER OF THE COOKS, OR THE FISH WILL BE OVER COOKED AND FALL APART.
“DELICIOUS CHOWDER FOR A COLD WINTER NIGHT”