Fish Chowder
with butter lettuce salad
Smarts: This recipe could be made in the Instant Pot. For tips, join the Cook Smarts Instant Pot Facebook Group.
Ingredients
- Bacon - 4 strips, chopped
- Leeks - 2, thinly sliced
- Chives - 1 Tbsp, chopped
- Potatoes, Yukon gold or baby yellow potatoes - 8 oz, cubed
- Fish, any white variety - 1 lb, chopped into bite-sized pieces
- Bay leaf - 1
- Paprika, smoked - 1 tsp
- Old bay seasoning (opt) - 1 tsp
- Salt - 1/2 tsp
- White wine - 1/2 cup (sub stock)
- Stock, any type - 4 cups
- Heavy cream - 1/2 cup
- Oyster crackers (opt) - for serving
- Vinegar, apple cider - 1 Tbsp
- Mustard, Dijon - 2 tsp
- Honey - 1/2 tsp
- Oil, olive - 2 1/2 Tbsp
- Cucumbers - 6 oz, cubed
- Butter lettuce - 8 oz, leaves chopped or torn
Nutrition Facts
Prep
- Bacon / Leeks - Prep as directed. Store separately. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
- Make vinaigrette - Whisk together vinegar, mustard, and honey. Add olive oil while whisking. (Can be done up to 5 days ahead)
- Chives / Potatoes / Cucumbers / Lettuce - Prep as directed.
- Fish - Chop into bite-sized pieces. Pat dry and season with some salt and pepper.
Unlock this meal along with hundreds of smart meal plans and never stress about "What's for dinner?" again
Try for freeLearn More
Make
- Heat a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add bacon and fry, stirring occasionally, until bacon is crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer bacon to a paper towel-lined plate.
- Drain all but 1 Tbsp / 15 mL of bacon grease out of the pan. Return pan to medium heat.
- To heated pan add leeks and bay leaves. Saute until leeks are very tender, ~5 minutes.
- Add paprika, Old Bay (if using), and salt. Cook for 1 minute more.
- Pour wine over leeks and bring to a simmer. Simmer ~3 minutes to reduce slightly.
- Add stock and potatoes and return to a simmer. Cover and simmer until potatoes are tender, 10 to 15 minutes. (Note: Adjust heat as needed to keep the liquid simmering gently but not bubbling over.)
- When potatoes are tender, remove and discard bay leaves.
- If you’d like a thicker soup, use an immersion blender to blend a small portion of the soup and potatoes. (The blended potatoes will serve as a natural thickener.)
- Add fish and simmer until fish is cooked through, ~5 minutes more.
- Remove soup from heat and stir in cream. Taste and season with some salt and pepper.
- When soup is ready to serve, toss cucumbers and lettuce in vinaigrette. Finish salad with some black pepper.
- Serve soup with chives, bacon, and crackers (if using). Enjoy salad on the side.
Nutrition Facts
Reviews
Ratings
29 reviews
Excellent flavors! Doubled the potatoes. Served with french bread. I recommend picking a fish that has moderate or high omega 3 fats, since that's the main benefit of eating fish. I chose flounder. It was fishy, but that's hard to avoid.
0 HelpfulYum!! Possibly my favorite Cook Smarts soup ever?! We used cod, didn’t use an immersion blender or extra potatoes, and it was perfect as is. The bacon adds a lot of flavor, but when we made extra the next time it made our soup way too salty! (The salad is boring though.)
0 HelpfulReally good, kids like it too. I doubled the spices, but next time I won't double the Old Bay...it makes it too salty. Or alternatively I can back off my broth concentrate. Could easily double up on the potatoes next time. I like using the immersion blender on this one.
0 HelpfulDidn’t have high expectations - but very tasty! Followed another reviewer’s advice and doubled the potatoes. Worked well.
0 Helpful