Seafood Chowder

By mahto

Ingredients

• Chowder Base
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 ⁄2 small white onion, minced
• 1 ⁄2 leek (white and pale green parts), halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 tablespoon peeled and minced ginger
• 2 cups peeled, seeded, and cubed winter squash, such as kabocha
• 1 carrot, sliced
• 1 ⁄2 teaspoon mild curry powder
• Salt
• 1 lemongrass stalk, bruised with the side of a chef’s knife and halved
• 1 bay leaf
• 3 ⁄4 cup unsweetened coconut milk
• 31 ⁄2 cups Vegetable Broth (page 118) or water (I used veggie broth)
• Mussels
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 ⁄2 cup white wine
• 1 pound mussels, cleaned
• 1 cup diced winter squash, such as kabocha
• 1 cup diced potatoes
• 8 baby turnips, peeled and quartered
• 8 baby radishes, halved
• 1 ⁄2 pound medium shrimp, peeled, deveined, and halved
• 1 ⁄2 pound skinless black sea bass fillet, cut into small chunks (I used two lobster tails instead of the bass, steamed in water and white wine, and cut into chunks)
• 1 ají dulce or other small red pepper, cored, seeded, halved crosswise, and julienned (I used a red Anaheim pepper)
• Salt and pepper
• Extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons minced red onion
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped chives
• Aleppo pepper

Details

Servings 6
Adapted from tastebook.com

Preparation

Step 1

Make the chowder base. In a medium pot, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 6 minutes. Add the leek, shallot, garlic, and ginger and cook, stirring occasionally, until the leek is softened, about 6 minutes.

Add the squash, carrot, and curry powder, season with salt, and cook, stirring, for a few minutes. Raise the heat to medium-high, add the lemongrass, bay leaf, coconut milk, and broth, and bring to a simmer. Cook the chowder base until the squash and carrots are very tender, about 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the mussels. In a medium pot, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the shallot and garlic and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 3 minutes. Increase the heat to high, add the wine, and bring to a boil. Add the mussels, cover the pot, and steam them until they just open wide, 3 to 4 minutes.

Once the squash is tender, discard the lemongrass and bay leaf. Process the chowder base in a blender until very smooth and creamy, then pass through a fine-mesh strainer into a large pot. (I skipped the strainer, as I wanted my chowder a little chunky.) Bring the chowder base to a simmer, then add the raw diced squash, potatoes, and turnips and cook until tender, about 10 minutes.

Add the radishes, shrimp, and sea bass and simmer for about 3 minutes. Stir in the mussels and red pepper. The soup’s consistency should be thinner than a traditional chowder—add a splash of the reserved mussel liquid, if needed.
Season with a touch of salt and pepper. Serve the chowder in bowls, topped with a drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil, the red onion, chives, and Aleppo pepper