Not to toot my own horn... but... I've been told that I make a good Seafood Chowda!..
Originally I planned to post this on Tuesday night... but work has been sucking the life force out of me the past few days... But like Cynthia says: "It's Friday Eve!" so here we go!..
Ingredients:
1/2 package cold bacon chopped
olive oil (maybe)
1 medium size white onion
4 medium red potatoes
4 cups boiling water
1 500ml bottle of lobster and its brine
1 cup shrimp with tails removed
2 cups scallops cut in half
3 cups white fish cut into bite sized pieces (whatever you have on hand)
1 can of clams drained
salt
pepper
2 Tbsp butter
1 tsp dry parsley
1/2 tsp curry powder
1 cup skim milk
Directions:
Chop up cold bacon... if it is very fatty trim the fat but be sure to leave some for flavour...
Cook on low... very low...
Cook the bacon on low to render down the fat before the meat begins to crisp up...
I like to be efficient when I cook... so while the bacon is cooking chop up the onion...
I like to chop my onion small..
...just don't mince them or cut them too large...
Once the bacon is cooked remove it from the pot...
Leave some "bacon juice" in the pot...
If you removed too much fat from the bacon before cooking and there is no "bacon juice" in the pot then toss in a bit of olive oil...
Oh yes... I cook my bacon really slowly... so I had time to peel the potatoes while the bacon was cooking...
Toss the onions in the pot with with bacon juice... and bacon flavour that has cooked onto the bottom of the pot... don't worry!.. that flavour will release when the onions start to sweat...
Cook the onions on low too...
While the onions are sweating it out you have time to cut up the potatoes...
I'm not sure what the facts are behind it but red potatoes make better chowda potatoes...
I like to cut my pieces fairly small... then you don't get too much potato and not enough seafood!..
Once the onions have soaked up the bacon flavour and are transparent toss in the potatoes and stir it all up...
Oh yes... boil the kettle... four cups of water... and throw that into the pot...
Cook over medium heat...
Start prepping your seafood...
This is where you have a chance to mix and match... your seafood...
I was actually out of shrimp when I made this... no worries... throw in more of something else...
Really its up to you the combination and amounts... just see how it looks and remember that you'll be tossing in one cup of skim milk too...
Furs and I are very lucky... My momma bottles lobster every now and then... and she always has a few bottles for us... the most recent ones she brought to CB earlier this month when her and dad came over to see us while we were on the West coast of Newfoundland... they live on the other side of the island...
I cut the scallops in half... and the fish into bite sized chunks...
I forgot to say... all of the seafood... with the exception of the canned and bottled items came out of the freezer!.. you don't have to have fresh fish for a deadly chowda!..
Bring the pot of water with potatoes and onions to a boil...
Boil for 10 minutes...
THROW all of that seafood goodness into the pot... I throw in the liquid that the lobster is in... its too tasty to throw out!.. but the clam water... too salty!..
Then toss the parsley, curry powder, pepper, salt and butter in...
Be sure to save all your veggie peels and cut offs to compost...
If you don't compost check with your neibs... maybe one of them compost!.. you could add to their pile... then maybe next year they'll give you some good compost for your gardens!?.
Now put that lid on the pot and... boil!.. boil!.. boil!.. give it 10 minutes... it really doesn't take long to cook the seafood... check the fish... it should flake easily... and the scallops should be solid in colour...
After 10 mins turn the temperature down low... and remove the lid... we want this chowda to cool a little bit... we don't want the milk to go gross... ew...
Once the chowda isn't boiling put in the cup of skim milk... and turn it back to medium... make it nice and hot... on the way there give it a taste... does it need more salt or pepper!?. Then add it!..
Have you're bowl and buttered bread on standby... fill the bowl... drop a pile of the bacon you cooked earlier on top... yep... its gonna be good!
That's it!.. The pot usually doesn't last long... a couple bowls for supper and then for lunch the next day... and if I'm feeling good I might share a few bowls with some friends... Consider yourself lucky if I share this liquid gold with you!.. and remember if you want you can add more or less of anything in this recipe... make it your own... spice it up differently... let me know how it turns out!..
xo
Lacey
