CaseT
TVWBB Platinum Member
Last summer I acquired a whole 16lb fresh caught Chinook Salmon while on a trip to the coast. I had it steaked and then I vacuum packed it. We’ve been grilling it but I throughly I’d mix it up a bit this week. With the crappy cold snowy weather I decided chowder was in order.
Temps were only going to be in the 20’s so I decided that I would cold smoke the salmon steaks with some alder pellets. I only smoked for a hour to put a light smoke on the fish as my home made bacon I was going to use is pretty smokey.
Here’s the base recipe I used. I added some other spices like tarragon, white pepper and chili pepper flakes to taste.
1/2 pound salt pork or bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons water
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 large ribs celery, finely chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup bottled clam juice
1 quart whole milk
1 pound russet or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (I like to parboil the potatoes.
1 bay leaf
3/4 to 1 pound boneless, skinless fish scraps, such as salmon, cod, or halibut, cut into 3/4-inch chunks
Combine salt pork or bacon and water in a heavy-bottomed stock pot or Dutch oven over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until water has evaporated and pork has begun to brown and crisp in spots, about 8 minutes. Add onion and celery. Season gently with salt and pepper and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened but not browned, about 4 minutes longer. Add flour and cook, stirring, until no pockets of raw flour remain. Stir in clam juice, followed by milk. Add potatoes and bay leaf and bring to a simmer.
Simmer chowder, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are fully tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in fish chunks and simmer just until cooked through, about 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve immediately, garnish with minced fresh herbs, hot sauce, and crackers.
Temps were only going to be in the 20’s so I decided that I would cold smoke the salmon steaks with some alder pellets. I only smoked for a hour to put a light smoke on the fish as my home made bacon I was going to use is pretty smokey.
Here’s the base recipe I used. I added some other spices like tarragon, white pepper and chili pepper flakes to taste.
1/2 pound salt pork or bacon, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons water
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 large ribs celery, finely chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup bottled clam juice
1 quart whole milk
1 pound russet or Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (I like to parboil the potatoes.
1 bay leaf
3/4 to 1 pound boneless, skinless fish scraps, such as salmon, cod, or halibut, cut into 3/4-inch chunks
Combine salt pork or bacon and water in a heavy-bottomed stock pot or Dutch oven over medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until water has evaporated and pork has begun to brown and crisp in spots, about 8 minutes. Add onion and celery. Season gently with salt and pepper and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are softened but not browned, about 4 minutes longer. Add flour and cook, stirring, until no pockets of raw flour remain. Stir in clam juice, followed by milk. Add potatoes and bay leaf and bring to a simmer.
Simmer chowder, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are fully tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in fish chunks and simmer just until cooked through, about 3 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Serve immediately, garnish with minced fresh herbs, hot sauce, and crackers.
