Great Kiwi creamy seafood chowder
Taking advantage of New Zealand's abundance of seafood, this comforting, thick and creamy seafood chowder is a distinctly Kiwi dish.
Ingredients
Method
Ingredients
- 1 large kūmara cut up into small chunks
- 100g scallops
- 100g prawns
- 100g shrimps
- 100g terakihi or hoki fish cut into medium sized chunks.
- 1kg of greenlip mussels (whole)
- 1 teaspoon of fresh thyme finely chopped
- 1 garlic clove finely chopped
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 1 celery stalk chopped
- 250g cream or crème fraiche
- 400g vege stock or fish stock
Cookware: Frying pan, steamer.
Method
- Fry garlic, onion, thyme and celery in a pan.
- At the same time steam your mussels until they open and de-beard them (green fuzzy thing).
- Add your kūmara in with the stock. Bring to the boil and then allow to simmer.
- Once kūmara is soft add your seafood and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Season with a pinch of salt, add in cream and continue to reduce until you have a thick and creamy chowder!
- Serve and garnish with a pinch of pepper and fresh parsley.
Recipe notes:
Fish – The best fish for chowder is any firm white fish such as snapper, tarakihi, cod, ling, monkfish or gurnard. Where possible, avoid any delicate fish that might fall apart in the soup, and afford fish that’s too lean as it can turn dry. Read our guide to buying fish.
Kūmara – Our seafood chowder recipe uses kūmara, but you could easily substitute potato. In fact, many traditional seafood chowders actually use potatoes instead. You can also add in any other vegetables of your choice. Both corn and broccoli are popular additions.
Stock – If possible, try using homemade fish stock. It will pack your seafood chowder with plenty of delicious flavour! If that isn’t available, fish stock will work best, but even vegetable or chicken stock will work in a pinch.
FAQ:
What is the difference between chowder and soup?
Chowder is technically a type of soup. While soups can be all kinds of textures, including thin and light, a chowder is characterised by being rich and thick. Like stews and casseroles, it contains large chunks of vegetables and seafood.
What should I serve with seafood chowder?
The perfect accompaniment for chowder is a nice crusty bread – we love Alice Ardnell's bread recipe. Of course, if you are pushed for time, a New World bakery bread would also do the trick!
Are there other types of chowder?
Yes, absolutely. We have a bunch of great chowders in our recipes section like this Zucchini and corn chowder, this traditional New Edinburgh clam chowder and the Icelandic mussel chowder.