This morning started with a game of squash, oatmeal and iced coffee. Jeremy and I are both improving at squash and it is becoming more and more fun the better we get. Honestly, I wish I could play every day. Once home, it was nap time, which I love because it means break time for me. Yesterday, while at Harbor Fish I was let in on a little secret, Salmon would be going on sale today for $8.99 a pound. Coincidentally, Whole Foods Market would also have salmon on Sale for $8.99 a pound. Right now, this comes out to a savings of around $10! I knew I needed to jump on this opportunity. To make things even better, I had received some dill in this week's CSA share that I was dying to use... with salmon of course. It felt as if the stars were all aligning. Now... what to make.
I started off the way I always do, searching my two trusty cookbooks, both of which have never let me down. Real Simple: Meals Made Easy and another good one, Everyday Food: Great Food Fast. Nothing about salmon with dill in either. Next it is off to Epicurious.com to find something suitable. The first thing that appeared was a recipe for Salmon and Dill Chowder. At first, I hesitated. Do chowders take a long time to cook? Then I read the recipe and concluded that this would not take long. My second concern should have been the amount of dairy a chowder requires, but I knew I had that under control. Just a few months ago, I made a killer New England Clam Chowder using soy milk and it came out fantastically! I decided today that I would use Lactaid milk, which Jeremy can also have as a lactose free alternative.
First Max and I stopped off at Whole Foods to buy potatoes, two stalks of celery and some vegetable broth. We wandered over by the seafood department to check out their salmon. And I thought, how dare they try to compete with Harbor Fish!! Harbor has been providing Portlanders with fresh fish for over 30 years and Whole Foods comes on scene about 4 years ago and starts challenging the business of the local commerce! Personally, I try to avoid the store, but sometimes I can't help it. I have resorted to doing the bare minimum there. I buy my meat at a local butcher, Pat's Meat Market, that has been a Portland staple since the 1950s, my fish at Harbor and my produce from my CSA and my local farmer's market. However, there are times that I need to go outside the local network and those are the times that I put money directly into John Mackey's pocket, cringing while I do it. I bought my 3 items at Whole Foods and we got back in the car and drove a few blocks to Harbor Fish Market to get the Salmon (which looked better than Whole Food's anyway). We get home and glory glory it is nap time again. I put Max down and spend the next hour prepping and stirring and drooling over this pot of the hardiest soup I've ever made.
This one is a keeper. A one pot meal that is hardy and delicious. Here is the recipe.
Salmon Chowder with Dill- Serves 4
Gourmet Magazine April 2004
Ingredients:
4 bacon slices, cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces
1 medium onion, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
2 celery ribs, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
1 pound boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 cup water (I used chicken broth)
2 cups whole milk (I used Lactaid)
1 pound skinless salmon fillet, trimmed of dark flesh, then cut into 1-inch pieces
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1 tablespoon unsalted butter (I used dairy free butter)
Preparation:
Cook bacon in a 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until crisp, then transfer to paper towels to drain. Pour off all but 2 tablespoons fat from saucepan, then add onion, celery, potatoes, salt, and pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in water and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, covered, until potatoes are almost tender, about 10 minutes.
Add milk and simmer, uncovered, until potatoes are tender, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in salmon, dill, and butter and simmer gently until salmon is just cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes. Serve sprinkled with bacon.
This is not the healthiest thing I've made, but it also isn't the unhealthiest. So... indulge and enjoy!
I'm off to eat some now.
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