RED SEAFOOD CHOWDER RECIPES

Steps:

• 1. This tasty corn chowder is really comforting and the fresh mussels give a beautiful depth of flavour.
  2. Heat a splash of oil in a large saucepan over a medium-low heat. Add the bacon, onion, celery and chilli and sweat down for 5 minutes, stirring, until soft but not browned.
  3. Peel the husk from the corn and slice off the kernels with a sharp knife. Add the sweetcorn and potato to the saucepan, along with the stock. Bring to the boil, then simmer gently for 10 minutes, or until the potato is soft. Blitz very roughly with a hand blender (or cool slightly, then blend in batches in a food processor, returning the chowder to the saucepan).
  4. Add the mussels and cream, bring quickly to the boil and cook for a few minutes until the mussels have opened – discard any that remain closed. You can take the mussels out of their shells, if you like. Remove from the heat and season. Divide the chowder between bowls and serve sprinkled with the chopped parsley.

Steps:

• Put the clams in a large, heavy Dutch oven, add about 4 cups water, then set over medium-high heat. Cover, and cook until clams have opened, approximately 10 to 15 minutes. (Clams that fail to open should be discarded.) Strain clam broth through a sieve lined with cheesecloth or doubled-up paper towels, and set aside. You should have 5 or 6 cups. Remove clams from shells, and set aside as well.
• Rinse out the pot, and return it to the stove. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter, and turn heat to medium-low. Add bacon, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the fat has rendered and the pork has started to brown, approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove pork from fat, and set aside.
• Add the dulse and the leeks to the fat, and cook, stirring frequently, until the leeks are soft but not brown, about 10 minutes. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter, then stir in the carrots, parsnips, potatoes and wine, and continue cooking until wine has evaporated and the vegetables have just started to soften, approximately 5 to 7 minutes. Add enough clam broth to just cover them, approximately 4 to 5 cups, reserving the rest for another use. Add the thyme and the bay leaves.
• Partly cover the pot, and simmer gently until vegetables are tender, approximately 10 to 15 minutes.
• Meanwhile, chop the clams into bits about the size of the bacon dice. When the vegetables are tender, add the cream, and stir in the chopped clams and reserved bacon. Add black pepper to taste. Let come to a simmer. (Do not let chowder come to a full boil.) Remove the thyme and the bay leaves, and discard.
• If serving right away, slip the fish fingers into the chowder, place the scallops on the surface and allow them all to cook into translucence in the heat, approximately 5-7 minutes. But chowder improves mightily if it sits overnight to cure. If you have the time, don’t add the fish and scallops right away, but allow the chowder to chill in the refrigerator overnight, then reheat it to a bare simmer before adding and cooking them through. Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve, garnished with the chopped parsley.