Smoked Salmon Chowder
Updated Oct. 25, 2023
- Total Time
- 1 hour 10 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- 1tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
- 1medium leek, cleaned, trimmed and thinly sliced
- 1medium carrot, peeled and diced
- 1rib celery, trimmed and diced
- 1clove garlic, peeled and minced
- 1large, starchy potato, peeled and cut into small cubes
- 2teaspoons fresh thyme leaves
- ¼cup all-purpose flour
- ½cup dry white wine
- 1½cups chicken stock, either homemade or low-sodium
- 1bay leaf
- 2cups whole milk
- 4ounces smoked salmon, flaked
- ¾cup heavy cream
- Freshly ground black pepper to taste
- Fresh chives, minced, for garnish
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
314 calories; 19 grams fat; 10 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 6 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 22 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 8 grams sugars; 10 grams protein; 275 milligrams sodium
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
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Private Notes
Comments
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!
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!
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.
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!
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.
This chowder was fantastic! I did made some minor modifications: Doubled the garlic, nearly doubled the smoked salmon, used a little less milk, found we did not need the cream at all. I never peel carrots; simply scrubbing is much faster. We made this for New Year's Eve and it was devoured. A winner!