Cookery Feature - Simply Seafood - Be Inspired by Chowder

There’s much talk of food tourism these days, and of the ambitious menus presented by high-end chefs, at eye-watering prices. But, impressive as some of these culinary creations are for special occasions – and no doubt a satisfying experience for those who enjoy food tourism as a hobby, or even a way of life – excellence at a more accessible level is in many ways even more admirable. Take the humble seafood chowder, for example. A staple on so many menus and the mainstay of thousands of visitors and holidaymakers travelling around the country every year, this wholesome meal in a soup bowl served simply with soda bread and butter is so varied in that it has inspired numerous competitions over the years, both here and abroad.

Versions at some casual dining destinations are famous enough to merit a visit for this speciality alone - Coyne's Gastropub, in the Connemara Gaeltacht for example (Tigh Chadhain’s Fresh Seafood Chowder: thick and plentiful with good chunks of fresh local fish and a homemade brown scone), and Kealy’s Seafood Bar in Greencastle Co Donegal (see recipe below). Other outstanding recent chowders that will linger long in the mind include places as diverse as Wineport Lodge Glasson, Co Westmeath (Seafood Chowder €16, maybe with Pernod & tarragon, always with homemade Guinness bread), for example; Sea Church in Ballycotton, East Cork (Fred’s Mediterranean Seafood Chowder €13.50: Creamy tomato based with smoky bacon, saffron, white wine, potatoes, mix fish, prawns & mussels served with stout brown bread); and Wild Garlic in Bantry (West Cork creamy seafood chowder €9, with in-house treacle soda bread). These, and many others we encounter on our travels, are a reminder of just how memorable this delicious bowl of goodness can be – and how the highlight of a meal can be something simple. At its best, a bowl of chowder is a wholesome and lip-smackingly wonderful taste of the sea that will set you up for your day’s activities, at a modest price and almost invariably with the additional pleasure of an equally unique brown bread freshly baked in the house style.

So what’s not to like…? Well, as Gaz Smith of Big Mike’s in Blackrock Co Dublin says in the cookbook ‘And for Mains…’ “If I see chowder on a menu, I almost always go for it. And almost every single time, I’m disappointed. A chowder is one of those things that should be so good, but so many people f**k it up. It’s either grey, thick and clumpy or bland and grainy. The thing is, it’s really easy to get it right.” Gaz’s version is given below, along with a quite different, much simpler, one from my very practical fish and seafood cookery book ‘From Tide To Table – Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Seafood’  which has become a bit of a classic and is now also available in the four Kish Fish shops in Dublin and Meath.

RECIPES TO TRY:

Greencastle Chowder
This recipe is featured in ‘From Tide To Table – Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Seafood’ (see details above) and comes from Tricia Kealy who, with her husband the late James Kealy, opened the famous Kealy’s Seafood Bar in the rugged fishing port of Greencastle, Co Donegal in 1989. A small place with a big heart, this surprising little pub-cum-restaurant is on the harbour front - and near the Lough Foyle Ferry, connecting County Donegal and Magilligan Point in County Derry. This is the most popular dish on their menu and Tricia wouldn’t like to think how many gallons of chowder they have made over the years! A simple and delicious recipe, it’s a fitting tribute to James - and his ‘wee scones’ (see below) are the perfect accompaniment.
Serves 4-6

1.2 litres/2 pints fish stock
100g/4oz skinless salmon fillet, cubed
100g/4oz skinless haddock fillet, cubed
50g/2oz butter
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 leek, chopped
3 celery sticks, chopped
1 tsp chopped fresh dill
1 tsp crushed pink peppercorns
50g/2oz plain flour
a little milk (optional)
salt and freshly ground black pepper
pouring cream and chopped fresh parsley, to garnish
freshly baked baby brown scones, to serve (see below)

Bring the fish stock to a gentle simmer in a large pan and add the salmon and haddock. Cook for a couple of minutes until tender, then transfer to a plate with a slotted spoon. Set aside until needed.
Melt the butter in a separate large pan over a medium heat. Sweat the onion, carrots, leek and celery for about 10 minuets or until they are softened but not coloured. Add the dill and pink peppercorns and cook for a further 5 minutes.
Stir the flour into the vegetable mixture and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Gradually pour in the fish stock, stirring until smooth after each addition, then bring to the boil and simmer for 15 minutes until all of the vegetables are completely tender and the liquid is slightly reduced. Season to taste.
Just before serving a little milk can be added to thin out to desired consistency. Add the cooked salmon and haddock to the chowder and allow to warm through. Ladle into warmed bowls and garnish with a little cream and some parsley. Arrange on plates with some brown baby scones to serve.

James's Wee Scones 
Although seafood takes centre stage at Kealys Seafood Bar, the baking is special too. James's Wee Scones are unusually light and often enhanced by a scattering of cheese on top - hard to resist, especially with their lovely chowder. As these scones are virtually fat-free, they must be eaten very fresh - warm from the oven if possible, but definitely on the day of baking.

1 lb/450g plain flour
1 lb/450g wheaten flour
1 tsp bread soda
1 tsp salt
24 fl oz/725 ml buttermilk or soured cream & milk

Preheat a hot oven, 200'C/425'F/gas mark 6. Sift plain flour, soda and salt into a bowl, add wheaten flour and mix well. Make a well in the centre, pour in almost all liquid and mix well with a wooden spoon, adding remaining liquid as needed to make a soft, moist dough. (Do not overmix). Dust worktop with flour, turn out dough, dust top with flour and press out evenly to thickness of 1½"/3.8 cm. Cut individual scones with a 2"/5 cm fluted cutter, place on oiled and floured baking tray and brush tops with eggwash (2 egg yolks mixed with 2 tbsp water) and/or scatter with grated cheese. Bake for about 12 minutes until well-risen and golden-brown.

Gaz Smith’s Seafood Chowder 
This recipe from Gareth (Gaz) Smith, chef and owner of Dublin restaurant Big Mike's, is from the cookbook And For Mains…, by Gaz and his friend and business partner, fourth-generation butcher Rick Higgins of Higgins Family Butchers in Sutton, Co Dublin. Gaz explains: “Our chowder is based on a good fish stock – the only thickener comes from the starch in the potatoes. A really good fish stock is amazing, but don’t worry if you only have a premade one. I’d rather you make this with a stock cube than not at all. Either way, the key is to chuck the fish in for only the last few minutes. That’s how long it takes to cook – if you leave it all sitting in the pot for hours, you’ve ruined the fish. Our little curveball comes from coriander seeds and star anise, which works so well. It gives a little bit of a different note and makes the whole dish a smidge more fragrant.”
And For Mains is available from bookshops, Higgins Family Butcher, Sutton and online from the publishers Nine Bean Rows price €30.

Chef’s tip: You can use whatever fish you like, but make sure you use the naturally smoked fish, not that stinky, slimy, orange-dyed gack.
Serves 4

Olive oil
1 medium onion, finely diced
100g peeled finely diced carrots
100g finely diced celery
200g potatoes, peeled and cut into 1.5cm cubes
4 garlic cloves, sliced
4 star anise
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1.2 litres good-quality fish stock (or from a cube is fine)
2 big pinches of fine sea salt
100g leeks, finely diced
150g naturally smoked fish, cubed
100g each of cockles, mussels, fresh prawns
80g meaty white fish, diced
200ml pouring cream
Zest and juice of 1 lemon, plus extra juice to finish if you like
A good pinch each of finely chopped: fresh flat-leaf parsley,
fresh dill, fresh coriander
To serve: Crusty bread

• Get a nice big pot and heat a good glug of oil in it over a low heat. Add your onion, carrots, celery, spuds, garlic, star anise and coriander seeds and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring often.
• Add your fish stock along with two big pinches of salt and bring to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes, until the veg are slightly softened and the stock is starting to thicken (you can thank the starch in the potatoes for that). Add your leeks and let the whole lot simmer gently for 15 minutes more.
• Raise the temperature to a high heat. Once your base is bubbling, throw in all your seafood and cook for 3 minutes. Turn down the heat to medium, then pour in the cream and cook for a further 2 minutes.
• Take your chowder off the heat, add the lemon zest and juice along with all the chopped herbs and stir to combine. You can also finish off each portion with an extra squeeze of lemon if you like.
• Serve hot with crusty bread.