Yummy Fall Comfort Food
Our good friends Barb and Vic took us to Ivar’s restaurant in Seattle this summer where I had the BEST smoked salmon chowder I have ever eaten. It is rich and creamy and smokey – I could eat it every day and never get tired of it.
I decided to try to make it and see how close I could get to recreating it. I found several recipes, one from Epicurious and another from Seattle Southside’s blog, to help me make this adaptation of the northwest’s yummy comfort food.
We don’t have smoked salmon, so I substituted high quality canned salmon. The flavor isn’t as complex as Ivars, but I love how this turned out! I don’t think it is nearly as good as the real-deal, but it is close enough to make it disappear quickly. Next time I make this, I will start with several slices of smoked bacon to add a hint of smokey flavor.
This recipe makes a huge pot of chowder that will feed a crowd and is easy to put together. The hardest part is cleaning the leeks but I promise it is worth the effort. My better half thought I had too many leeks in the pot, but they almost disappear as they cook down. My secret addition to the recipe is a cup of dry sherry to add a roasted nutty flavor to the chowder.
This is a meal unto itself! Cornbread or biscuits would be a perfect side.
- 3-4 tablespoons olive oil
- 6 leeks, cleaned and chopped
- 1 cup chopped celery
- 1/4 cup dried chopped chives
- 2 russet potatoes, peeled and chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 5 cups chicken or vegetable stock
- 6 ounces tomato paste
- 3 6-ounce cans salmon
- 2 cups milk
- 2 cups heavy cream
- salt
- ground black pepper
- 1 cup dry sherry Amontillado or Oloroso are best
- Fire up a chimney full of charcoal. Make a solid pile of hot charcoal and place a large camp Dutch oven over the hot coals. We used a 12-inch oven and it was just barely big enough. Add olive oil and let it warm up for a minute, then add chopped leeks.
- Stir frequently to saute the leeks until they are soft.
- Add potatoes, chives, and chicken stock.
- Simmer for 20 minutes or until the potatoes are fork tender.
- Stir in tomato paste and salmon.
- Remove from heat and add milk, cream, and sherry.
- Gently smash the potatoes be squishing the chunks up against the side of the Dutch oven with the back of a spoon. This makes the chowder thick and creamy.
- Remove all but about 8 hot charcoals and return oven to the heat. Stir constantly until chowder starts a very soft simmer. Remove from heat. Add salt and pepper to taste.
