A great tip for cold winter days – Easy Seafood Chowder. Honouring my stay in San Francisco, I present you my personal favourite soup. There is everything I love: seafood, bacon, chili and winter veggies. Saffron and seafood work absolutely stunningly together. So yummy and such a fulfilling comfort food!
Total Time: 45 minutes + soaking of the saffron
Shopping List
A pinch of saffron threads
1 litre of good quality stock
Few slices of quality smoked bacon, diced
Olive oil, butter
1 large medium onion, peeled and finely chopped
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
1 handful of leek, washed and sliced
A pinch of chili flakes
Few branches of fresh thyme
Sea salt, ground black pepper
2 cloves of garlic, crushed, peeled and finely chopped
1 small jar of a sweet corn
1 large potato, peeled, washed and grated
1 cup of milk
1 handful of fresh parsley and chives, washed and hardly chopped
1 glass of good quality dry white wine
350g of good quality seafood mix (shrimp, clams, calamari, etc.)
1 tablespoon of plain flour
Instructions
First, let the saffron come through. Take a large spoon of the prepared stock and soak the threads in it. Let it work for about 1 hour at least.
After 1 hour, heat up one tablespoon of olive oil in a medium deep cooking pot on high heat.
Bacon in. Roast it until golden for about 2 minutes.
Then, lower the heat to medium and stir in the onion, carrot, leek, chili and thyme. Season with sea salt and pepper and sauté for about 5 minutes until it softens.
Add garlic. Smell it out for about 1 minute.
Pour in the stock and saffron with the remaining liquid.
Next, throw the corn and potato in. Simmer for about 15 minutes until soft. Taste. Season accordingly.
Pour in the milk. Simmer for 2 minutes and taste. Season accordingly.
Sprinkle with fresh parsley and chives.
Pour in the wine. Reduce.
Stir in the seafood. Let it cook properly for about 10 minutes.
If the consistency is too liquid, take out 1 large spoon of the soup liquid into a coffee mug and stir in 2 tablespoons of flour. Sieve into the soup.
Serve warm with a fresh bread.
Makes 4 serves.
