Smoked Salmon Chowder

Recipe from Russ &amp

Adapted by Sam Sifton

Updated October 24, 2023

  • Marcus Nilsson for The New York Times; Food Stylist: Suzanne Lenzer. Prop Stylist: Theo Vamvounakis.
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Total Time
1 hour 10 minutes
Rating
5(415)
Comments
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There is a recipe for lox chowder in Mark Russ Federman’s charming memoir of his family's appetizing business on the Lower East Side of Manhattan: “Russ & Daughters: Reflections and Recipes From the House That Herring Built.” I put a version of it into The Times in 2013. The soup tastes best made with the store's smoked salmon trimmings, which offer a lot of fatty, flavorful bits from up around the fish’s collar (and cheap, too!), but a number of test runs using supermarket smoked salmon offered evidence that the soup is still terrific when made outside the five boroughs of New York City, with a fantastic smokiness tempered by the sweet flavors of potato and leek. —Sam Sifton

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Ingredients

Yield:4 to 6 servings

  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

  • 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

  • 1 medium leek, cleaned, trimmed and thinly sliced

  • 1 medium carrot, peeled and diced

  • 1 rib celery, trimmed and diced

  • 1 clove garlic, peeled and minced

  • 1 large, starchy potato, peeled and cut into small cubes

  • 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves

  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour

  • ½ cup dry white wine

  • 1 ½ cups chicken stock, either homemade or low-sodium

  • 1 bay leaf

  • 2 cups whole milk

  • 4 ounces smoked salmon, flaked

  • ¾ cup heavy cream

  • Freshly ground black pepper to taste

  • Fresh chives, minced, for garnish

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 to 6 servings)

22 grams carbs; 53 milligrams cholesterol; 314 calories; 6 grams monosaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 19 grams fat; 2 grams fiber; 275 milligrams sodium; 10 grams protein; 8 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Melt the butter with the oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot set over medium heat. Add leek, carrot and celery, and cook until the vegetables have softened, 5 to 10 minutes. Add the garlic, potato and thyme, and cook until the garlic is fragrant, an additional 2 or 3 minutes.

  2. Step 2

    Sprinkle the flour over the vegetable mixture and stir to combine, then cook, stirring often, for approximately 5 minutes, making sure not to scorch the bottom of the pan.

  3. Step 3

    Add the wine, chicken stock and bay leaf, and bring mixture to a simmer. After 10 minutes or so, stir in the milk, and return to a simmer. Cook until the potatoes are tender, approximately 25 minutes. Add the salmon and stir gently, allowing the fish to warm but making sure that the mixture does not boil.

  4. Step 4

    Remove the bay leaf and discard. Add the cream, then stir to combine and heat through. Season to taste with pepper. Garnish with minced chives.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
415 user ratings
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Comments

Carey Larsen

I served this recipe at a New Years soup party this year. This is a ruthlessly competitive annual event, where a bunch of friends spend all year secretly planning what they'll submit. My soup was "Bagels and Lox," this recipe for salmon chowder served with roasted caper-pumpernickel croutons. Came home with lots of hardware - medals for seafood, chowder, most original, and trophy for #2 best overall soup. Thanks, Sam!

Arlene

Lacking a few ingredients but inspired by Chopped, I substituted half of a large chopped onion for the leek; a chopped parsnip for the carrot; 2 ribs of celery instead of one; seafood broth instead of chicken; and leftover grilled salmon in lieu of lox. Oh, and leftover mashed potatoes instead of a raw one.I also sprinkled some packaged mashed potato flakes to thicken a bit more. Added more salt and pepper and herbs. Delicious!

Douglas Branch

This recipe is really delicious. It, and a little salad with a simple vinaigrette with pears and gorgonzola on the side, makes for a perfect meal. And it pairs beautifully with chardonnay. But, and this is a biggie: Old Bay seasoning. It brings everything together really well. Night one: no Old Bay, and it was delicious comfort food. Night two: reheated, added some Old Bay, and it was pretty spectacular.

Rebecca

Excellent. I used chicken bone broth and blended 1/2 cup low fat cottage cheese with the remaining 1/4 cup heavy cream to add some protein. I will say serving size seems off...three of us devoured the whole pot for dinner. I guess we were hungry...

Kay

I cooked it with wild Alaskan salmon that we smoked. I had some skin left over from a more formal presentation of the salmon that we'd given, so I threw it in with the bay leaf. It disappeared when cooked. Absolutely amazing!

Jill

I made a west coast variation of this with alder-smoked King salmon instead of lox. Substituted onion for leek, tripled the carrot and celery, omitted the garlic and heavy cream and deglazed with Marsala instead of dry white wine. It's a flexible recipe that works with whatever flavor profile you like. It was very satisfying on a cold day. I did find it took longer to cook the potatoes through while keeping the milk from boiling, but it was still fairly quick for a good soup.

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Credits

Adapted from Russ & Daughters, New York.

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