Soup of the Day: Northwest Chowder

Seattle is known for a lot of things, including grunge, the Space Needle, Death Cab for Cutie. We should be known for our chowder. Pike’s Place Chowder has won international chowder competitions, beating out those east coast chowderheads. We have plenty of amazing fish and shellfish in the Northwest. It inspired me to make a cheapish and quick Northwest Chowder. 

I found a decent recipe that I have adapted and added to. Below is what I put in my delicious chowder.

• 3 celery stalks, sliced
• One green bell pepper, diced
• One half of a large yellow onion, diced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 5 tablespoons butter
• 1 can (14-1/2 ounces) chicken broth
• 1 large Yukon Gold potato
• 2 medium red potatoes
• Salt, Pepper, and Oregano, used in excess. Crushed red pepper used in small doses.
• 1 can (14-3/4 ounces) cream-style corn
• 2 cups half-and-half
• 1-3/4 to 2 cups fully cooked salmon chunks or 1 can (14-3/4 ounces) salmon, drained, flaked, bones and skin removed.
• One package of baby shrimp meat

My wife and I prepped together, which made for a fun date night. She peeled the potatoes while I chopped the vegetables.

Step one: In a large saucepan, sauté the celery, onion, green pepper, and garlic in butter until the vegetables are tender. Add a dash of salt and pepper.

Step two: Once the vegetables are tender, add potatoes, broth, and seasonings. Bring to a boil.

Step three: Once the soup is boiling, cover and simmer on a low to medium heat for 40 minutes, or until everything is tender.

Step four: Add the cream, corn, salmon, and shrimp. Simmer for 15 minutes or until heated through.

This yields about 8 servings. The final product was tasty.

I had a great time making this and I think it’s pretty easy to do. The best part about using frozen shrimp and canned salmon is that you don’t need to live next to the ocean for delicious seafood. I hope someone else tries it and tells me what they think.