Wednesday, 6 October 2010

Haddock chowder

I've said before how much I hate soup and how pointless I think it is.

But I don't think chowder counts as a soup. Nor is it especially anything else. It's... chowder.

Anyway, this is very nice and very easy. A great thing do to for a lot of people for lunch because it won't take up really any of your attention and you can plunk it down in the middle of the table and pretend you live on Nantucket or something.

It's also quite wholesome, which means that you've got good reason to make a giant comforting crumble or a lot of chocolate cake for afters, which I feel I can never quite justify, and people often can't quite manage, if I've dished up a humdinger of a roast.

Smoked haddock corn chowder, for 4 
(bastardised from Jamie Oliver's new book, 30 Minute Meals, or 30-Minute Meals to be more accurate)

300g smoked haddock (buy it skin off if you can because taking the skin off yourself is a real pain in the A)
4 rashers bacon
2 dried red chillies (if you want - I thought it was lovely a bit spicy, but don't if you're not keen)
4 spring onions
200g waxy potatoes, chopped into cubes about 2cm big
1 large can sweetcorn or 4 corn on the cob
3 bay leaves
1 sprig thyme
1.5 pints chicken stock
150ml single cream (but I used double and it was nice)

1 Chop up the bacon, potatoes and spring onions and cook them in a large pan gently for 10 minutes with the dried chilli if you're using and not if not.

2 When the bacon is looking done, add the sweetcorn. If you're using fresh sweetcorn, you'll have to shave the corns off the cob in the best way you can see how. Tin users can just tip the little suckers straight in.

3 Give this all a stir. Add the haddock, (I cut mine up roughly into about 4 big bits before chucking in. Jamie puts it in whole), the bay leaves and the thyme and then cover with the stock.

4 Cook for 12 minutes over a medium flame. Then add the cream, stir in and cook gently for another 5-10 minutes. You can leave everything whole or you can bash it all up with a potato masher, or just bash up one side and mix it all together.

Eat with Matzoh crackers if you want, but it's pretty filling on its own.


  1. I've never tried chowder before. And I have to say, cream in soup doesn't sit well in my mind. (Having never had a creamy soup I can't say how it would sit in my stomach). I'm tempted to try this... increase my calcium intake etc... and maybe one of the old five a day. And does Haddock count as an oily fish? Check me out, trying to find health benefits in a lowly chowder! (I'm writing an essay and am SO bored). I'll stop hogging your blog space now.

  2. Yeah I'm writing something really boring too. Haddock doesn't count as oily fish, but other sorts of fish are good for you. If you're not crazy about the cream, you could only add half the featured amount. When it's cooked for a bit it isn't all gross-out and creamy, it just balances out a bit the saltiness of the fish and bacon. I think there are a lot of health benefits. More than in, say, a pizza, which is what I'm posting about next.

  3. Ah, the health benefits of pizza are almost purely psychological. Although, if need be, I'm sure I can find physical health benefits too. Thanks for the tips on the cream. Good luck with whatever you're writing about.

  4. this looks delicious... and i'm loving these daily posts... other than being pregnant and bored, how come you've gone cooking crazy lady all of a sudden (not that i'm complaining... just jealous i'm not in my kitchen) x