Seafood Chowder with a Greek Twist
This chowder could never pose as a Greek recipe, but I love it nonetheless, being a Yankee as well as a Greek! I add my touch to it, a little spritz of ouzo, which goes beautifully with both the seafood and the dairy. It’s a great main-course soup for a freezing winter day.
Ingredients
- Seafood chowder could
- 2 slices bacon diced
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin Greek olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 large onion diced
- 2 celery stalks chopped
- 1 carrot peeled and diced
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup vegetable stock
- ½ cup clam juice
- 1/3 cup ouzo
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 russet potatoes peeled and diced
- 2 cups small clams soaked, scrubbed, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup cooked shelled mussels
- 1 cup small shrimp scallops or filleted 2/3-inch chunks of deboned monkfish or other firm-fleshed skinned fish
- Greek sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
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Heat a large stockpot or Dutch oven over medium high heat. Add bacon and cook until brown and crispy, about 6-8 minutes. Transfer to a paper towel-lined plate, reserving 1 tablespoon excess fat in the pot. Set the bacon aside.
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Heat the olive oil in the same pot over medium heat and cook the onion, celery, carrot, and garlic until soft, about 6 – 7 minutes, stirring. Stir in thyme until fragrant, about 1 minute.
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Sprinkle in the flour and stir gently until lightly browned, about 1 minute. Gradually whisk in the milk, vegetable stock, clam juice and bay leaf, and cook, whisking constantly, until slightly thickened, about 1-2 minutes. Add the ouzo and cook until the alcohol steams off.
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Stir in the potatoes. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 15 to 20 minutes. Add the clams and the chunks of fish if using. Simmer for 6 – 7 minutes, then add the remaining seafood (mussels and shrimp or scallops if using instead of the fish). Add the heavy cream and cook for another 6 – 7 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. If the soup is too thick, add more milk as needed until desired consistency is reached.
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Serve immediately, garnished with crumbled bacon, if desired.
Love soup? Check out my online class “Comfort in a Soup Bowl!”
