Smoked haddock chowder has always been real comfort food for me, and a go-to dish when cooking for friends. It can be made just as easily on the hob, so don’t let a rainy day put you off.
Ingredients
- large knob of butter
- 1 white onion, diced
- 3 leeks, sliced
- 1 large carrot, grated
- 2 bay leaves
- 17 fl oz 2 cups (500 ml) fish stock
- glug of white wine optional
- 10½ fl oz (300 ml) crème fraîche (sour cream)
- 2 un-dyed smoked haddock fillets, pin-boned and cut into large chunks
- 1 lemon, cut into quarters
- small handful of roughly chopped parsley
Crispy Potatoes
- glug of rapeseed oil
- knob of butter
- 2 lb 4 oz (1 kg) new potatoes, cut into quarters
- 1 red onion, cut into wedges
How to Make It
- If you’re firing up the barbecue for this, get it up and running. You’ll also need a large saucepan and a large frying pan or heavy-based skillet – make sure neither of them have any plastic parts, as they’ll probably melt in the fierce heat of the barbecue. Cook the potatoes and chowder on the edge of the barbecue or on a higher shelf, then sear the fish and lemon on a grate closer to the coals.
- For the potatoes, put the oil and butter into the frying pan or skillet over medium heat and add the potatoes and onion. Season with salt and cook for about 20–25 minutes until golden, turning occasionally.
- Meanwhile, melt the butter in the saucepan over medium–low heat and add the onion, leeks, grated carrot and bay leaves. Season with salt and pepper, then cook until the onion and leeks have softened. Pour in the fish stock and white wine and let it boil for 6–8 minutes to deepen the flavours and cook off the alcohol. Add the crème fraîche and white pepper to taste, then simmer gently for about 5 minutes. Do not allow the chowder to boil or the crème fraîche may curdle – if this happens, remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly, then stir in a small knob of butter and you should be back on track.
- Slide the fish chunks onto skewers, then lightly oil and season. Cook on the barbecue for 2–3 minutes or until the fish starts to turn opaque be careful not to overcook. Quickly sear the lemon quarters until sweet and sticky.
- If cooking on the hob, add the fish to the chowder and simmer for 2–3 minutes. Remove from the heat and let the fish poach in the hot chowder for a further 1–2 minutes.
- Ladle the chowder into bowls, then sprinkle with parsley and serve with the barbecued fish and crispy potatoes.
