Catfish Out of Water

I have been almost making chowder for weeks! I usually do a seafood holiday. But this year I made fondue and spinach pie for Thanksgiving and am thinking a fondue-inspired lobster macaroni and cheese for Christmas. But, being halfway in between these two holidays, I still haven't satisfied my craving! So, I have endeavored to make salmon chowder.

Chowder isn't something that I grew up eating and isn't necessarily in my wheelhouse. I've really only maybe had it a handful of times. But living in Wisconsin has imparted a constant reminder every Friday of seafood! Friday fish fries are alive in well, in an entirely landlocked state. Although Lake Michigan is ever the reminder!

Every Friday it's fish fries, salmon burgers, and seafood chowder, though. Even during a pandemic no one forgets the fish!

I have this love-hate relationship with corn. Honestly I just don't quite understand the appeal. But I have a giant Costco-sized bag in my freezer and must actually use it. I also don't ever need an excuse to put potatoes in anything! So this recipe also has corn and potatoees.

Gallery

Variations of Salmon Chowder

I am a huge fan of salmon. I probably make it once a month. It goes great with everything from eggs and salads to soups and burritos.

Salmon Chowder w/ Corn & Potatoes

Every time I think about making a chowder, I'm perturbed by the amount of cream and butter in it. As much as I like these ingredients? Too much doesn't necessarily sit well with me! So, I've endeavored to make a chowder that doesn't have quite so much lactose in it. This salmon chowder recipe gets its creaminess from vegetable broth and the natural starch in the potatoes. It's absolutely delicious, while also being entirely dairy-free. It's the perfect guilt-free meal that feels just as decadent as any seafood chowder should be!

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 1 hour hr

Total Time 1 hour hr 15 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine French

Servings 8 servings

Equipment

• Cast Iron Griddle (or Baking Sheet, or Foil)
• Oven (or Barbecue)
• Large Pot
• Stovetop

Ingredients

  

Baked Salmon

• 1 filet salmon
• splash olive oil
• lemons sliced

Chowder

• 4 cloves roasted garlic (or 2 cloves unroasted garlic)
• 8 oz. salmon baked
• 4 medium Yukon gold potatoes diced
• 1/2 large yellow onion diced
• 2-3 stalks celery diced
• 3 c. corn
• 3 bay leaves
• dash salt
• dash pepper
• 2 tbsp. flour
• 1 quart vegetable broth (one 32 fl. oz. container or 4 cups)
• 2 c. water

Instructions

 

Prepare Ingredients

• I used Roasted Garlic in this recipe. You can easily substitute 2 cloves of unroasted garlic. Otherwise, this recipe simply calls for garlic and oil, a garlic roaster or aluminum foil, and takes about an hour.

Bake Salmon

• Preheat oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Place salmon skin-side down on a griddle or baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and add a dash of salt and pepper. Slice a lemon and place evenly on top of the salmon.
• Bake salmon for 12-15 minutes, or until the salmon begins to flake. Salmon tends to be cooked when it loses the bright color and you can take a fork and it easily separates. Larger cuts of salmon may take upwards of 20 minutes. Smaller, individual portions may take less time. It's best to begin checking after 10 minutes of cooking and adjust the cooking time to the doneness of your filet.

Cook Chowder

• Add all of the ingredients, except for the salmon, into a large pot (garlic, potatoes, onion, celery, corn, bay leaves, salt, pepper, flour, vegetable broth, and water).

  For less of a rustic earthiness, peel the potatoes beforehand.
• Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer.
• Simmer on medium-low for 45-60 minutes, or until the chowder has thickened to the desired consistency.

  I like my chowders a little bit thicker. But you don't have to simmer that long if you don't want! You can simmer just enough to cook the potatoes until tender. This can take as little as 20-30 minutes. If you slow cook potatoes enough they will begin to disintegrate at some point. I did this on purpose because it thickens the soup and I enjoy the creaminess and heartiness of a thicker chowder. But, like I said, this is all personal preference!
• Add flaked salmon and serve.

Tips, Tricks, & Notes

• For more information on baking salmon, check out my articles on The Fundamentals of Oven Baked Salmon and Barbecue Salmon. I'm particularly fond of cooking on a well-seasoned cast iron griddle because you don't need additional oil or foil to to keep it from sticking. But there are certainly ways around this if you don't want to dedicate an entire cast iron pan to fish! Cooking salmon is also more of an art than a science. No two filets are going to cook in the exact same amount of time and there are definitely some tips and tricks to nailing the cook on fish.