Chunky Salmon Potato Chowder

Chunky salmon potato chowder is a taste that must be experienced. Washington state is known for its salmon chowder. I had my first bowl of the delicious chowder while visiting friends in Washington state.  I’ve had New England chowder and Manhattan clam chowder and they are both delicious in their own rights.  Hence smoked salmon chowder is in a league of its own.

Dining In Elegance

We dined at this quaint cafe in Tacoma, Washington called the Olive Branch Cafe and Tea Room.  Its charming space is located in the Freight house Square along the Amtrak Depot.  They served high tea which traditionally is served in the late afternoon.  The meal consisted of a finger sandwich served on a tiered tray along with delicious assorted desserts beautifully arranged on fine china.  Hence one of the cafe’s featured dishes was the smoked salmon chowder.  It was one of the most delicious chowders I have ever tasted.  I can’t say enough about the taste of their smoked salmon chowder. In addition the meal was reasonably priced. Hence its very popular with the patrons.

The chowder was so delicious that I ate my chowder before taking a picture.   All I was thinking about was devouring that wonderful chowder. Terry Waller is the owner of the Olive Branch. She makes it her business to come around to each customer’s table to engage in conversation.  I thought this was such a wonderful touch. It was at this time that I sang the praises of the smoked salmon chowder.  The wonderful chowder was made by Terry.  My friends and I played twenty questions trying to get the ingredients for the chowder out of Terry.  Consequently it was like pulling teeth trying to get those ingredients, which we never really got.

The smoked salmon chowder motived me to go home and create my own chowder, Chunky Salmon Potato Chowder. In addition my chunky salmon potato chowder is not the Olive Branch recipe, but it has its own distinct delicious flavor. Furthermore the dish is great on a cold brisk day. In addition it’s a great form of comfort food.

Steps To Make Chunky Salmon Potato Chowder

The chunky salmon potato chowder requires a number of ingredients.  Hence if you have a stocked kitchen with various spices chances are you have everything that’s needed to make this delicious dish.  I used the ingredients that I thought would duplicate the flavor of the chowder from the Olive Branch Cafe.  Garlic powder, old bay seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, Mirin (a type of rice wine lower in alcohol content and higher sugar content) if you don’t have it use extra soy sauce if you like, white pepper, nutmeg, grated garlic,  and chopped onions.  Of course the obvious was potatoes, salmon, chicken broth, heavy cream, bacon, (I added bacon).  We all know bacon makes everything taste better. Hence its popularity in the United States. As I result I add bacon to a lot of the food that I cook. Hence my food is very flavorful.

I needed to duplicate the chowder while it was still fresh in my mind.  Any recipe is just a guide you must be willing to make the dish your own, and that is what I attempted to do. In addition I was motivated by my Seattle trip.

1. Pan-fry 6 to 8 ounces of salmon in butter until lightly brown.  You could bake your salmon in the oven to reduce the calories.

2. Fry four pieces of bacon until crispy.  Set aside

3. Saute the peppers, onions, and garlic in the bacon fat until softened.

1. Make a rue using butter and flour, add the seasoning to the mixture.  Stir until the rue gets a caramel color.

2.  Peel and cube a couple of potatoes, cook them in chicken stock until firm.

3.  Add the rue, chicken stock, crumbled bacon, and peppers to the potatoes mixture.

4.  Add the cream to the chowder mixture.  Break the salmon into medium size pieces.  The salmon should be the last ingredient added to the chowder.  Consequently simmer for another five minutes after adding the salmon.

Flavor at its best.

Chunky Salmon Potato Chowder

 

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Prep time

15 mins

Cook time

25 mins

Total time

40 mins

 

Chunky salmon potato chowder is a rich hearty flavorful chowder.

Author: Sharron Marbury

Recipe type: Main

Cuisine: American

Serves: 4-6 Servings

Ingredients

• 8 ounces cooked salmon
• 3 medium potatoes, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 4 slices cooked (crumbled) bacon
• 2 cloves chopped garlic
• ½ cup diced onions
• 4 cups chicken stock
• 2 cups water
• ½ cup diced red peppers or green peppers
• 1 cup heavy cream
• season fish with sea salt and black or white pepper
• 1 stick butter
• 2 tablespoons Worchester Sauce
• 1 teaspoon Mirin
• 2 tablespoon Soy Sauce
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 tablespoon Old Bay Seasoning
• 2 teaspoon garlic powder
• GARNISH:
• 1 teaspoon freshly chopped parsley or
• 1 strip crumbled cooked bacon for garnish topping

Instructions

1. Peel the two potatoes and cut into 1-inch cubes. Add the potatoes, 2 cups chicken stock, 1 cup water to a 3-qt. (large) saucepan cooking the potatoes until tender.
2. Lightly season the salmon with salt and pepper. Use a medium to low heat to pan-fry the salmon in 4 ounces of the butter. Cook the salmon until medium well, then set aside.
3. Fry the bacon until nice and crispy, set aside once cool crumble bacon to add to chowder and use one strip as a garnish if you like. The bacon can be added to the chowder along with the other ingredients.
4. Saute the peppers, onions, and garlic in the bacon grease until tender. Remove from the skillet then add them to the potatoes in the saucepan.
5. Make the Rue: Melt the last half of the butter over low heat in the skillet. Add the flour to the butter stirring constantly until a caramel brown. Slowly add the last 2 cups of chicken stock to the rue stirring constantly to prevent lumps. Add the seasoning to the chowder mixture (garlic powder, Worchester Sauce, Mirin, Soy Sauce, Old Bay Seasoning continue to stir. The chowder is now being developed.
6. Add the chowder mixture, to the potato mixture. Add more seasoning to taste if needed.
7. Bring the chowder to a low slow simmer add the cream and salmon to the chowder. Continue to stir and simmer for another five minutes. Serve warm and garnish with bacon and chopped parsley.

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