Salmon Chowder for One

Sunday was a blustery, frigid New England winter day, and a bowl of hot soup after mass seemed like a good choice to break the Eucharistic fast.

However, being a single gentleman, and not always wanting to cook up huge batches of food to have as leftovers, I'm grateful for cookbooks like Madison & McFarlin's What We Eat When We Eat Alone, since they're full of great recipes that prepare dishes in small quantities for a meal or two.  Salmon Chowder for One piqued my interest, so I thought I'd give it a try.

This is the first time I've tried the Salmon Chowder for One.  To keep the chowder on the light side, I used water as the liquid for the soup, adding a little half-and-half at the end.  If you'd like something a little richer, use milk for the liquid; for a more robust taste, use fish stock. 

I adapted the recipe to make it more reminiscent of spring by adding a handful or two of frozen peas for a bit more color.  No need to thaw the peas beforehand: just drop them into the chowder during the last five minutes of cooking, and they'll be fine.

Add an additional cup of water/stock/milk to make enough for two servings.  About 1.5 servings otherwise.

Salmon Chowder For One

1 tbsp butter

1 small onion, diced

1 celery stalk, diced

A pinch of dried thyme

1 bay leaf

1 Yukon Gold or russet potato, cut into 1-inch chunks (about 8 oz)

1 small handful each parsley and celery leaves, chopped

½ tsp smoked or regular paprika

Salt and pepper, to taste

2 cups water (fish stock or milk can be used as well)

1.5 cups frozen peas (no need to thaw)

Half-and-half, to finish

1 chunk salmon, cut into bite sized pieces, about 4-6 oz (smoked salmon is fine)

Melt the butter in a pot or saucepan over medium heat.  Add the onion, celery, thyme and bay leaf; give a stir and sauté for a minute or so, until softened.  Then add the potato and half the parsley/celery leaf mixture. Season with the paprika and salt.  Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Add the water (or stock or milk), and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to low and cover the pot.  Simmer for about 15 minutes, until the potatoes are tender.  Five minutes before the potatoes are finished, add the frozen peas.  Mash a few of the potatoes against the side of the pan to give the soup some body.  Add a little bit of half-and-half or more milk to enrich the chowder.  Taste for seasonings: add more salt and paprika, if necessary, and ground black pepper.

Put the salmon pieces in the bottom of the pot, cover it, and let it simmer for 5 minutes longer.  Serve hot, with the remaining parsley/celery leaf mix on top and an extra shot of paprika, if desired.

Adapted from  What We Eat When We Eat Alone: Stories and 100 Recipes, Deborah Madison & Patrick McFarlin (2009)