Seafood Chowder

This creamy, comforting chowder transforms humble seafood mix into something spectacular with bacon, white wine, and a few clever tricks that make it taste like you spent all day on it.

Ingredients

• 650g/ 1.3lb seafood marinara mix or mixed fresh seafood – fish (, squid, prawns, cooked mussel meat (Note 1))
• 50g (3 tbsp) unsalted butter
• 100g/ 4oz streaky bacon (, chopped into 1.5cm / 1/2" squares)
• 2 cloves garlic (, finely minced)
• 1/2 cup chardonnay (or other dry white wine (can skip))
• 1/3 cup flour (, plain/all-purpose (Note 3 for gluten-free))
• 1 litre (4 cups) chicken stock/broth, low sodium OR homemade fish stock ((avoid store-bought fish stock) (Note 2))
• 2 medium carrots (, peeled, cut into 7mm / 1/3" pieces (~1 1/2 cups))
• 2 large potatoes ((any type fine), peeled, cut into 1cm / 0.2" cubes (~2 1/2 cups))
• 1 cup thickened cream / heavy cream ((sub milk for lighter option))
• 1 cup corn ((frozen or canned, drained))
• 2 tsp fish sauce
• Pinch white pepper ((substitute black pepper))
• 3 tbsp chives or parsley (, finely chopped, for garnish)
• Crusty bread ( or better yet, garlic bread!)

Instructions

1. Cook bacon in butter, remove. Sauté garlic, deglaze with white wine, make roux. Add stock, simmer potato, carrots and bacon 10 min. Add cream, corn, fish sauce, pepper, raw seafood – simmer 3 min. Stir in cooked seafood, taste for salt. Serve!
2. Marinara mix – Separate cooked seafood (usually mussels, sometimes prawns/shrimp) from raw seafood. We put them in at different times.
3. Cut any large pieces of fish into 2.5cm / 1" cubes.
4. Bacon – In a heavy-based pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Add bacon and cook for 3 – 4 minutes until the edges are light golden. Use a slotted spoon to remove into bowl, leaving fat in the pot.
5. Deglaze – Add the garlic and cook for 10 seconds (don't let it brown). Add the wine, simmer rapidly on high for 3 minutes, scraping the base to loosen any golden bacon bits, until the wine is mostly evaporated.
6. Roux – Reduce heat down to medium, add the flour and mix for 1 minute ("roux").
7. Broth – While stirring, pour in about 1 cup of the stock and mix to dissolve the roux – it will thicken into a paste. Add the remaining stock and stir well until lump free (use a whisk if needed).
8. Simmer 10 minutes – Increase heat to high, bring to the boil, add the carrots, potatoes and bacon. Lower heat to medium and simmer for 10 – 12 minutes, or until the carrots are just about done.
9. Simmer raw seafood 3 minutes – Add the cream, fish sauce, pepper, corn and raw seafood. Simmer for 3 minutes until the fish is just cooked (test – flesh should flake).
10. Cooked seafood – Stir in cooked seafood, taste and add more salt if needed (I don't).
11. Serve – Ladle into bowls, sprinkle with chives. Serve with warm crusty bread for dunking!