Smoked Salmon Chowder

Alskann's Note:

A delicious twist to the usual chowder. My husband, who usually does not like fish chowders, could not get enough of this. He really liked the subtle blend of flavors. We are fortunate to have an abundance of salmon in Alaska. There are many varieties of smoked salmon. I think a kippered style smoked salmon works best with this recipe. This is one of those meals that tastes even better when reheated the next day.

• Total Time: 45 mins
• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 6

• 8 -12 ounces kippered smoked salmon , flaked into bite size chunks
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 3 medium potatoes , skin on (4 cups cubed)
• 1 large white onion , peeled (2 cups diced)
• 1 cup sliced mushrooms
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 ½ cups chopped carrots
• 2 tablespoons super fine flour
• 2 (14 ounce) cans chicken broth
• 1 (13 ½ ounce) can coconut milk
• 1 tablespoon herbes de provence (with lavender)
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (more or less, according to taste)
• sea salt
• fresh ground black pepper

Directions:

1. Cut potatoes into 1/2-inch cubes, leaving skin on. Place in bowl and cover with cold water.
2. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat.
3. Dice onion and add to melted butter. Sauté until onion starts to become translucent.
4. Drain water from potatoes. Rinse and drain again.
5. Add potatoes to onions in pan. Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
6. Coarsely chop enough carrots to make 1 1/2 cups. (I use the baby peeled carrots and chop in a food processor).
7. Add carrots and mushrooms to mixture in pot. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally.
8. When vegetables are almost tender add flour and stir to mix it in well.
9. Let cook 3-5 minutes, stirring often to prevent sticking or burning.
10. Gradually add chicken broth. Stir well. Bring to a low simmer.
11. Stir in coconut milk (be sure to shake the can well before opening).
12. Turn heat to low.
13. Stir in smoked salmon.
14. Stir in herbs de provence and ground cinnamon.
15. Continue cooking over low heat 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
16. Add sea salt and fresh ground pepper to taste.
17. **IMPORTANT: Do not add salt until after you have tasted it. The saltiness of the salmon you use will influence how much salt you need to add, I did not add any additional salt.

Reviews

[Quite Contrary]

I'm giving this 5 stars mostly to counteract the low rating of the unbelievable moron below who chose a SMOKED SALMON chowder and rated it low because she thought it would be better WITHOUT SMOKED SALMON. Here's an idea: if you want a vegetarian soup, search for a vegetarian soup.

[Chef Jean Louise]

This was delicious! I didn't have enough onion (only about 1/2 cup), so I substituted red and green bell pepper to make up the difference. Since I'm allergic to mushrooms, I also substituted green peas for those. Other than that, I followed the recipe exactly, using tinned smoked sockeye, and it turned out beautifully. I especially like that the vegetables are for the most part sauteed, rather than boiled. It really brings out the flavor of the individual ingredients. My husband can't wait to eat the leftovers for dinner again tonight! Thanks for posting.

[Susiecat too]

This was quite delicious. I made a few small changes, but overall I think the recipe was basically the same. I used the meat of one small whole smoked trout instead of salmon, because the smoked trout was fresh and smoked locally. I used homemade chicken stock instead of canned, and had an herb mixture from Provence that I used -- I don't think it is the traditional "herbes de provence" but it is similar. I loved that this used coconut milk instead of dairy milk, and I used margarine instead of butter, so my whole family could partake. Lovely depth of flavors. Nice soup, Alskann! Thanks!