This soup is amazing. It’s a little different than my “usual” fish chowders, but yet also really similar. When I am developing recipes, I usually compare three or four and then start experimenting. The things that were identical between the three recipes that I looked at were Atlantic white fish (cod, halibut, etc), shrimp/prawns, leeks and … saffron. Really, saffron? Turns out, it is a great addition to the soup. And the color is amazing. This is definitely a recipe going on repeat!
Ingredients
4 tablespoons butter, divided
1/2 cup white part leek, finely chopped, divided
2 celery sticks, finely sliced, divided
2 carrots, finely sliced, divided
Salt and ground pepper
3/4 cup white wine
6 cups fish stock
3 tablespoons tomato concentrate
1/2 teaspoon saffron
2 pounds cod, cut in 1 – 1 1/2 inch cubes
1 pound uncooked shrimp, shelled and without tails
1 pound red potatoes, 1/2 inch cubes
1 cup heavy cream
Directions
In a medium sauce pan, heat up your fish stock to a low simmer. Divide your leek, celery and carrot amounts in half. Half you will use to enrich the broth and half will be added to the actual soup. Set one half aside. If you need to peel your shrimp, add the shrimp peels to the stock as well.
In a large dutch oven at medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of the butter and add the leek, celery and carrot. Season with salt and pepper and cook for about 10 minutes, while stirring often, until vegetables are tender. Add the tomato concentrate and cook for an additional minute or two, creating some fond in the dutch oven. Remove the vegetables, scraping as much as possible to the broth. Let simmer for 5-10 more minutes.
Place the remaining butter in the dutch oven, then the other half of the veggies and the potatoes. Sauté for 3-4 minutes. Add the white wine and scrape up any fond. Strain your broth through a fine mesh strainer into the dutch oven. Simmer for 15 minute or until your potatoes have softened.
Add your fish, shrimp and saffron. Bring to a boil then lower heat. Gently simmer for 5 more minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the cream.
Note: you want to avoid stirring the soup too much after it is finished or while you are reheating as the fish can get very tender.
