Seafood Chowder

Are you looking for a quick but delicious seafood soup? Can't wait to make that stock and take all that extra time? Well.. this is the soup for you. It's thick and creamy and comforting. I know many of you out there frown upon the use of condensed soups. But try this.. it tastes like a restaurant quality soup without all the fuss. Use whatever seafood you like. Just use at least 1 1/2 pounds of it. You can even use chopped cooked chicken if you don't like seafood. Want a curry flavor? Just add some curry powder while cooking the onions and celery. You can turn this into a creamy curried vegetable soup by omitting the seafood and using more onions and celery with the addition of carrots and whatever other vegetables are your favorites. Leave out the curry powder for a satisfying creamy vegetable soup. Just try it.. you'll like it.

• Ready In: 30 mins
• Serves: 6

Ingredients

• 1⁄2 cup butter
• 1  stalk celery, minced
• 1  small onion, minced
• 1⁄4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1⁄4 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1⁄4 teaspoon dried marjoram
• 3  tablespoons flour (I use buttermilk baking mix) or 3  tablespoons baking mix (I use buttermilk baking mix)
• 3 1⁄2 cups milk (or more if you like a thinner soup More milk can be added as needed after soup is completed.)
• 2 (10 1/2ounce) cans  condensed cream of potato soup (undiluted)
• 1 1⁄2 lbs shrimp (whatever you want your soup to be I like to use shrimp, scallops and whole baby clams.) or 1 1⁄2 lbs scallops (whatever you want your soup to be I like to use shrimp, scallops and whole baby clams.) or 1 1⁄2 lbs clams (whatever you want your soup to be I like to use shrimp, scallops and whole baby clams.) or 1 1⁄2 lbs  crab (whatever you want your soup to be I like to use shrimp, scallops and whole baby clams.)
•  chopped fresh parsley (to garnish)

Directions

1. Melt butter in 3-quart saucepan over low heat.
2. Saute' celery and onion until tender.
3. Add cayenne pepper, thyme, marjoram and flour or baking mix and stir until smooth.
4. Add milk and condensed soup and stir until piping hot.
5. Meanwhile clean and chop seafood as you like.
6. I usually halve the shrimp and then cut one half in half and leave the other half whole.
7. If using extra large scallops I usually quarter them.
8. When soup is piping hot add seafood and stir on medium heat until seafood is cooked through.
9. Serve in bowls topped with some fresh parsley along with some crusty bread or oyster crackers and a nice salad.