I'm going to pull one of my recipes one of the old draft files I have saved here on this site that have been waiting to see the light of day. I've picked this one because we stayed a resort this weekend and ate at their restaurant. The food really was not very good at all and one of the dishes I had had was a Seafood Soup (their word; soup - not chowder). It was barely lukewarm, was a thin, tomato based soup with a few itty bitty pieces of seafood (I couldn't tell what they were) and mostly was filled with sausage coins. Not impressed! I think this one sounds much better.
Seafood chowder
Adapted from Annabelle's Keg and Chowder House in Ketchikan, Alaska
1 lb. potatoes
2 slices bacon, cut into 1/4 -inch pieces
2 c diced celery, cut into 1/2 -inch dice (1/2 pound)
1 1/2 c diced onion, cut into 1/2 -inch dice (1/2 pound)
1/2 c butter
1 c flour
1 1/2 t chopped garlic
3/4 t dried sage
1 1/2 t dried parsley
1 t dried thyme
4 c seafood broth
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 quart half-and-half
1/4 c finely diced tomatoes
1/4 c diced green onions
2 to 3 lbs. chopped fresh seafood, such as a combination of shrimp, crab, scallops, halibut
Cook the potatoes until tender, but not too soft, about 20 minutes depending on the size (a knife should pierce the potato fairly easily). Drain the potatoes and set aside until cool enough to handle, then peel and cut the potatoes into one-half-inch cubes. Set aside.
In a large, heavy-bottom pot, sauté the bacon over medium-high heat until it renders its fat and becomes crisp, 5 to 7 minutes. Strain the bacon, leaving the fat in the pan. Add the celery and onion and cook in the fat until the onion is translucent and the celery is softened, 6 to 8 minutes. Add the butter and melt over medium heat. When the butter is melted, whisk in the flour to form a blond roux. Stir in the garlic, sage, parsley and thyme. While stirring, slowly pour in the seafood broth. Stir in the potatoes and bacon. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a boil, stirring frequently. Taste and season as desired with salt and pepper.
Decrease the heat to simmer for 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, stir in the half-and-half, tomatoes, green onions and seafood. Simmer gently until the seafood is cooked through. Taste again and adjust seasoning as desired. Remove from heat and serve immediately. This makes about 4 quarts.
