Creamy Salmon Chowder

My kiddo loves salmon and I'm constantly looking for new ideas of serving his favourite food since salmon is nutritious and boosts of several health benefits.

This dish was inspired by a member of the Singapore Home Cooks FB Group; she used salmon to cook a creamy chicken soup and I had this light bulb moment, hey why didn't I think of creating a chowder with salmon? I mean I have cooked clam chowder before and even a cabbage and seafood chowder! Silly me :p

Once again I decided to use CP chicken broth concentrate as the chowder base, because after using this broth to cook Mille-Feuille Nabe last week, I found it very convenient and the taste was rich, yet not overwhelming and enhanced the overall flavour of the dish. 

Decided to make it a one-pot meal and also to use up some leftover ingredients in fridge. I thought potato goes very well with salmon, and so does veggie like celery and carrot. I have some mushroom so added that as well. Bacon fried to a crisp is to add a smoky flavour (actually coz I like it, so it's optional). And sweet corn adds a tinge of sweetness and bursts of crunch to the dish. Actually just milk is enough, but I have a bit of whipping cream left from a bake so threw that in too. Feel free to adjust the ingredients to your preference.

Creamy Salmon Chowder

(serves 2-3 pax)

Ingredients

• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 2 slices streaky bacon, cut into small pieces (optional)
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1/4 onion, finely chopped
• 8 pcs swiss brown mushroom, cut into quarters
• 1/2 pc carrot, cut into cubes
• 1 stalk celery, cut into cubes
• 1 tbsp plain flour
• 2 stalks fresh thyme
• 100ml (1/3 cup) chicken broth concentrate
• 50ml (1/4 cup) whipping cream
• 200ml (3/4 cup) fresh milk
• 1 pc Russet potato, cut into cubes
• 200g salmon, cut into chunks
• 50g sweet corn kernels (frozen ones, soak in hot water for 10 mins)
• spring onion, black pepper, paprika, fresh thyme (optional, to taste)

Steps

1. Heat 1 tbsp of olive oil in a pot and fry bacon till browned and crispy. Scoop and set aside.
2. With the oil remaining in the pot, add garlic and onion and saute till fragrant and translucent.
3. Add mushroom, carrot and celery and saute for 3 mins.
4. Add 1 tbsp of flour and fresh thyme and saute for another min.
5. Add chicken broth, cream, milk and potato, cover and cook for 6-8 mins (until potato has softened), stirring occasionally.
6. Once the potato has softened, add the salmon chunks and sweet corn (leave a handful as garnish if desired) and cook for 3-5 mins.
7. Dish up chowder, garnish with bacon, sweet corn, spring onion, black pepper, paprika, fresh thyme and serve hot with bread rolls or rice. 

Totally love this dish! It's rich, creamy and savoury and I didn't even have to add any salt as the chicken broth is salty enough. Initially I thought that the chowder would be overwhelming and I wouldn't eat much as it's too creamy. But surprisingly, I found myself taking spoonful after spoonful! The salmon also didn't have any strong fishy smell which I disliked.

The kiddo ate the chowder with rice and bread, whereas I'm happy to eat it on its own. This recipe is definitely a keeper for my family, and I would count it as one of my comfort soups from now on :)