Irish fish chowder
User Reviews
5
Irish fish chowder
Description
This Irish fish chowder begins with softened onion and gently cooked smoked streaky bacon for a savory base. Diced potatoes simmer with thyme and bay leaf in fish stock, providing a subtle herbal and savory background. Mixed seafood — smoked haddock, fresh haddock or cod, salmon, and mussels — is added near the end to cook just until tender and the mussels open, preserving their texture and preventing overcooking.
The broth is light yet creamy, enriched by heavy cream and chopped parsley added off the heat, which brightens the chowder. The result is a delicate balance of smoky and fresh seafood flavors combined with aromatic herbs and creamy potato texture. This chowder offers a satisfying meal that is neither too thick nor heavy while maintaining comforting warmth.
Serve this chowder as a starter or main, perfect with crusty bread to soak up the broth. It brings a variety of seafood into a single dish featuring subtle complexity enhanced by herbs and bacon.
The notes suggest you can adjust the mix of fish or increase stock and potato quantities to your preference. For a thicker chowder, mashing some potatoes or adding flour before the stock helps. When reheating leftovers, warm gently without boiling to preserve texture and flavor.
Ingredients
- 1 onion small
- 2 oz Bacon streaky, smoked
- 8 oz potato
- ½ tablespoon butter
- ¼ teaspoon thyme dried
- 1 bay leaf
- salt
- black pepper
- 3 cups fish stock (or a light stock eg vegetable, if you don't have)
- 6 oz smoked haddock
- 6 oz haddock or cod
- 4.5 oz salmon
- 7 oz mussels
- ½ cup heavy cream double cream
- 1 tablespoon parsley chopped
Instructions
- Finely dice the onion, thinly slice the bacon and peel and dice the potatoes into around ½in/1cm dice.
- Melt the butter in a medium pot over a medium heat and add the onion. Soften for a minute or two then add the bacon. Cook around 5 minutes until bacon is cooked but not browning and onion is translucent.
- Add the potatoes, cook a minute then add the thyme, bay leaf and stock. Season with a little salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and simmer for around 10-15 minutes until the potatoes are cooked but not falling apart (they'll be just tender to a knifepoint).
- As it's simmering, dice all the fish in roughly bite-sized pieces, removing any skin, and wash the mussels. Once the potatoes are tender, add the smoked haddock, haddock, salmon and mussels to the pot. Gently push the fish and mussels under the stock and cook for another 5 minutes until the fish is cooked and the mussels open up. Discard any mussels that don't open.
- Remove from the heat, add the cream and parsley and serve.
Notes
- Feel free to substitute or adjust the types and amounts of fish as preferred, increasing potato or stock as needed.
- To thicken the chowder, mash some potatoes after cooking or add a small amount of flour before adding the stock.
- Reheat leftovers gently without boiling to maintain the texture of the seafood and broth.
Nutrition Information
Show DetailsNutrition Facts
Serving: 4Serving
Amount Per Serving
Calories 396 kcal
% Daily Value*
| Calories | 396kcal | 20% |
| Carbohydrates | 12g | 4% |
| Protein | 34g | 68% |
| Fat | 22g | 34% |
| Saturated Fat | 10g | 50% |
| Cholesterol | 134mg | 45% |
| Sodium | 1208mg | 50% |
| Potassium | 1017mg | 22% |
| Fiber | 1g | 4% |
| Sugar | 1g | 2% |
| Vitamin A | 675IU | 14% |
| Vitamin C | 11.8mg | 13% |
| Calcium | 133mg | 13% |
| Iron | 4.4mg | 24% |
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.
User Reviews
Overall Rating
5
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