Safe Passage Seafood Chowder

SEAFOOD CHOWDER

Steps:

• Cut the shrimp, scallops, and monkfish into bite-sized pieces and place them in a bowl with the crabmeat.
• In a heavy-bottomed pot, melt the butter; add the carrots, onions, celery, potatoes, and corn and saute over medium-low heat for 15 minutes, or until the potatoes are barely cooked, stirring occasionally. Add the flour; reduce the heat to low and cook, stirring often, for 3 minutes. Add the Seafood Stock and bring to a boil. Add the seafood; reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 7 to 10 minutes, until the fish is just cooked. Add the heavy cream, if desired, and the parsley. Add salt and pepper to taste, and serve.
• Warm the oil in a stockpot over medium heat. Add the shrimp shells, onions, carrots, and celery and saute for 15 minutes, or until lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook 2 more minutes. Add 1 1/2 quarts of water, the white wine, tomato paste, salt, pepper, and thyme. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer for 1 hour. Strain through a sieve, pressing the solids. You should have approximately 1 quart of stock. You can make up the difference with water or wine if you need to.

RATATOUILLE SEAFOOD CHOWDER

Steps:

• To form a soupier poaching liquid, gently reheat ratatouille with fennel seeds, and tomato juice or fish stock. Bring mixture to a simmer and gently poach seafood until done. Adjust seasoning and add fresh parsley. Spoon into deep dishes and serve with warm crusty French bread with which to sop up the juices.
• Heat olive oil in a large heavy enamellined casserole. Add peppers and onions and saute for a minute to get them cooking. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer very gently until vegetables are tender, about 10 minutes. Don't let olive oil get too hot or you will change the flavor. While these are cooking, cut eggplant into 3/4inch chunks. When peppers and onions are tender, add the garlic, eggplant, tomatoes and thyme and simmer over low heat for 30 minutes.
• While this is cooking cut zucchini and yellow squash lengthwise into halves or quarters, depending on how thick they are. Remove seeds with a spoon, then cut into 3/4 inch lengths. After 30 minutes of stewing eggplant, add zucchini and squash to stew, cover and simmer, over very low heat until all the vegetables are tender, about 20 minutes ( you can simmer for another 30 to 40 minutes for more meltingly tender vegetables). Strain the stew through a sieve and return juices back to casserole. Reduce the juices over medium heat until they begin to sizzle in the olive oil. Return this to the stew, season well to taste with salt and pepper. Divide ratatouille into two portions to proceed.

BC SEAFOOD CHOWDER "POUTINE"

Steps:

• For the stock: Sweat the coriander, fennel seeds, peppercorns, garlic and shallots in the butter in a heavy-bottomed pot (this will help control the heat so you don't burn the ingredients). When the shallots are translucent, add the clams, white wine, thyme and bay leaves. Cover the pot to steam the clams, and as they begin to open, add the mussels. Gently simmer, covered, until the mussels and remaining clams open, about 3 minutes.
• When all the shells are open, strain off the liquid and reserve, setting aside the shellfish to cool slightly until you can handle them. Shuck the meat out of all the shells, refrigerate and reserve for the sauce. Discard the vegetables and herbs.
• For the sauce: Cook the bacon in the same pot over medium heat to render the fat. This will help to make the roux later. When the bacon begins to brown, add 3 tablespoons of the butter, the garlic and shallots. Continue to sweat over medium heat until the shallots are translucent. Add the white wine and reduce until it's almost dry (au sec). Add the reserved shellfish stock and reduce by half. Remove from the heat and set aside on the stove.
• Melt the remaining 1 stick butter in a separate small pot or deep saute pan to its bubbling point and stir in the flour very well with a wooden spoon, incorporating it while removing clumps. Cook 3 to 5 minutes over medium heat while stirring regularly. Add the roux to the bacon pan, and place over medium heat. Add the cold milk to the hot roux while stirring constantly. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. You will have to monitor it carefully and stir frequently so the flour doesn't stick to the bottom (if it does, don't panic! You can remove the sauce, clean the bottom of the pot and put it back in... phew!) Simmer 10 minutes, then add the carrots, celery and fennel, and continue cooking until the raw flour taste has been cooked out and the vegetables are tender (they will add texture to the finished chowder), 10 minutes longer.
• Add the reserved mussels and clams. I use trim from the other fish I cook every day. Simmer 1 minute to heat through and add the parsley. Season with salt, garnish with the chives and serve immediately. Enjoy!