DESCRIPTION
This hearty Salmon Chowder recipe is bursting with amazing flavor. Use fresh, frozen, or canned salmon to make this cozy soup!
Ingredients
- 3 strips raw bacon, chopped
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 2 ribs celery, chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 (8 oz.) bottle clam juice*
- 4 cups whole milk**
- 2 medium Russet potatoes, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- 1 lb. skinless salmon, cut into 1/2 inch chunks***
- 2 Tbsp. fresh dill****
- Hot sauce, for serving
- Oyster crackers, for serving
Instructions
- In a large pot over medium heat, cook the bacon until crispy, stirring occasionally. Add the onion and celery. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook and stir for 30 seconds.
- Add the flour and stir to evenly disperse it. While stirring, slowly pour in the clam juice. While continuing to stir, add the milk. Then add the potatoes, bay leaf, salt, and pepper.
- Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a gentle simmer, stirring often. Immediately reduce heat to low and cook, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are tender, about 12-15 minutes.
- Stir in the salmon and the dill. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the salmon is opaque and flaky throughout, about 3 minutes. Note that the safe internal temperature for cooked salmon is 145°F. Taste and add more salt and pepper, if desired.
- Ladle soup into bowls and serve with hot sauce and oyster crackers on the side.
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Notes
*You can alternatively use 1 cup of seafood or of fish stock. Or, mix together 1 cup of water or vegetable stock with 1/2 teaspoon of fish sauce or with 1/2 teaspoon of anchovy paste.
**For a thicker chowder, use 3 cups of whole milk instead of 4.
***If using canned salmon instead of fresh, you’ll need two 5 ounce cans of salmon. My preference is red sockeye salmon, but any kind of canned salmon will work. Remove any bones, if desired, but do not drain the liquid out of the cans. Instead, when the above instructions say to add the fresh salmon, you will instead add the canned salmon along with the juices from the can. Then, reduce the cooking time in that step from 3 minutes to 1 minute since the canned salmon is already cooked and only needs to heat through. Note that you can use 1/2 pound of fresh salmon and one can of salmon. Add the fresh salmon when it’s called for in the recipe, and then add the can of salmon 2 minutes later.
****If using dried dill weed, you will only need 2 teaspoons, but add it when you add the potatoes to the soup, instead of at the end. This gives the dried herb time to absorb some liquid and also spread some flavor into the soup.