Brothy Corn and Salmon Chowder

I have another summer garden recipe but it's not zucchini this time. We also have an abundance of tomatoes.  Depending on what you have in your garden, this recipe also has corn, pototoes, basil, chives, and dill.  But even if you don't have a garden, this is a good summer soup anyway.  The corn-on-the-cob this summer has been amazingly sweet.  When I saw this recipe, the first thing I thought of was "Oh boy! I can buy more corn!"  The other thing I thought of was how I can use some coho salmon that Lauren brought home from Alaska.  She returned last week after a visit there for the first time to spend some time with her boyfriend's family who is from Alaska.  And they did A LOT of fishing.   

Her boyfriend's parents have two boats; a working boat and a recreational boat and they went out in both multiple times. They caught so much fish and Lauren caught some, too.  She was thrilled. 

I can't believe how much she knows about fishing now.  They were talking all about it after they got home from the airport.  It was fun listening to all the stories.  Needless to say, we now have a freezer full of salmon.  Good thing we like salmon!  That's another reason why this recipe is perfect because it also has summer vegetables and salmon.   ...just another typical day in Alaska. 

This is a New York Times recipe so I knew it would be good.  I will definitely be making this again.  I used fresh corn off the cob to take advantage of it still being available but you can use frozen corn if you want to make this in the winter.  It takes awhile to prepare all the ingredients in this recipe so it's not a quick recipes but it is easy.  There are just a lot of ingredients to prepare.  So, if you want to continue making dinner with summer vegetables plus throw in some salmon from Alaska, this is the recipe for you.  Enjoy!

Serves 4-6

1-1/2 pounds skinless salmon fillets, cut in 1-inch pieces.

1-1/4 tsp. fine sea or table salt, divided, plus more to taste

freshly ground pepper

3 tsp. prepared horseradish, divided, plus more to taste

2 Tbsp. unsalted butter

2 shallots, chopped

1 pound small Yukon Gold or red potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1 quart vegetable broth

3 cups corn kernels (from 3 to 4 ears of corn, save the cobs), or use frozen corn

1 cup halved cherry tomatoes or cubed plum tomatoes

1/4 cup chopped basil, dill or chives or a combination of all three

2-3 tsp. fresh lemon juice, more to taste

heavy cream or plain yogurt (or both), for serving (optional)

1.  Season salmon lightly with 1/2 tsp. salt and a generous grinding of fresh black pepper, then smear the pieces with 2 tsp. horseradish.  Set aside to marinate briefly.

2.  In a soup pot or Dutch oven, melt butter over medium heat.  Add shallots and 3/4 tsp. salt, and cook until golden, about 5 minutes.

3.  Add the potatoes, broth and corn cobs, if you have them, to the pot.  Bring liquid to a simmer, and let cook for 15 minutes; the potatoes should be almost cooked through.

4. Remove the cobs from the pot if you've used them.  If you like, you can let the cobs cool and squeeze their liquid back into the pot.  (I tried this but I couldn't get any liquid out of the the cobs...)

5.  Add salmon, corn kernels and tomatoes to the pot, and cook until the salmon is just cooked through and the potatoes are tender, about 5 minutes. 



6.  Stir in the remaining 1 tsp. horseradish, herbs and lemon juice.  Taste, and add more salt, horseradish, and lemon, if needed.

7.  Serve in bowls, drizzled with heavy cream or dolloped with a little yogurt (or both), if you like.