← Nouns Cooking · British & Irish

Ingredients

• 30 g Butter
• 100 g smoked streaky bacon, diced (optional)
• 1 Onion, finely chopped
• 1 Leek, sliced (optional)
• 1 clove Garlic, sliced
• 2 tbsp Plain (all-purpose) flour
• 500 ml fish stock
• 400 ml whole milk
• 2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1 cm dice
• 1 bay leaf
• 250 g undyed smoked haddock, skinned and cut into chunks
• 250 g firm white fish (pollock, cod or hake), cut into chunks
• 150 g raw peeled prawns
• 100 g sweetcorn kernels (optional)
• 100 ml Double (heavy) cream
• 1 handful Parsley, chopped
• Black pepper

Method

1. Melt the butter in a large pan over medium heat and fry the bacon, if using, for 4 min until it starts to crisp. Add the onion, leek and garlic and cook for 6–8 min until soft but not browned.
2. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute, then gradually stir in the stock and milk until smooth.
3. Add the potatoes and bay leaf, bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 10–12 min until the potatoes are just tender. Do not let it boil hard or the milk may split.
4. Add the smoked haddock, white fish, prawns and sweetcorn. Simmer very gently for 4–5 min until the fish flakes and the prawns are pink all the way through.
5. Stir in the cream and parsley, season with black pepper and taste before adding salt, as the smoked fish is salty. Serve with soda bread and butter.

Tips

• Leave out the bacon for a pescatarian chowder.
• A handful of mussels or clams, added with the fish and cooked until they open, makes it extra special; discard any that stay shut.

Sources

Written in our own words after cross-checking these recipes:

BBC Food BBC Food