Chowder

Chowder is often made with fish and corn.  I wanted something warming for me and my son when I made this.  It had got to 12:30 and the frost still hadn't melted off the car.  What can satisfy apart from soup in the circumstances?

I would prefer to make chowder from smoked fish but knowing I didn't have any in and knowing bacon chowder is also a 'thing' I decided to go completely off piste and combine the too.  Why not?

Pollock is a great fish to use; not only is it cheap but it's also a source of Omega 3, cod isn't.

Pollock and Bacon Chowder - Serves 2

Ingredients

15g, 1/2 oz Butter

1/2 Onion, finely chopped

75g, 3oz Bacon, preferably smoked

1 Clove garlic

1 Medium sized potato

200ml, 1/3 pint vegetable stock (use low salt if using a stock cube)

300ml, 1/2 pint milk (I used semi skimmed.  Use 1 or 2% if in the US)

100g, 3.5oz Pollock

150g, 5oz Frozen Sweetcorn

2 Sprigs thyme

1 tbsp Parsley, finely chopped

Method

Melt the butter in a pan and gently fry the onion, add in the bacon and garlic, fry until the onion is soft.

Add in the stock and milk and bring to the boil.  In the meantime, peel and finely chop the potato, add to the pan with the chopped thyme.  Simmer for 15 minutes then add the pollock* and cook until it flakes apart and the potatoes are soft.  Flake it and then add the sweetcorn.  Bring to the boil, then serve sprinkled with parsley.

*The pollock could be frozen or fresh, just adjust cooking time accordingly.  You can use floury potatoes for this as I did which thicken the chowder but there's also something lovely about a waxy potato in a chowder.

I've linked this up to the cooking with herbs challenge for July.