Smoked Salmon Chowder

Hearty, flavor-packed smoked salmon chowder with bites of tender potatoes. Prepare in 30 minutes. Ideal for weeknights; elegant enough to entertain with!

Baby it’s cold outside! We’re in the middle of a deep freeze right now ~ a Polar Vortex. I don’t know what the question is, but soup is the right answer.

On top of temps that include a wind chill factor, Sunday we got 12″ of heavy, wet snow. It was the perfect day to stay home, cook, catch up on some reading and even watch a little bit of the football game.

Monday brought the reality of digging out and thankfully my husband was up to the task because I was ready to just pull the covers over my head and wait for spring. No really.

Smoked Salmon Chowder ~ thick, hearty, loaded with smoky salmon flavor and tender, bite-size pieces of potato ~ just what we needed. You can eat it without good bread, but really. . .why would you want to? 

I love soup of any kind, but chowder. . .oh man. Easy Corn Chowder is one of my summertime favorites and this  Smoked Salmon Chowder for blustery winter days. And a few slices of good bread ~ did I mention bread?

My daughter laughed when I said I “just happened to have a loaf sourdough bread in my freezer” on the day I made this Smoked Salmon Chowder, but it was true.

There are two things you’ll always find at my house: good bread (usually stashed in the freezer) and cheese. And wine. I guess that’s three. Typically I’ll have anywhere from 6-8 types of cheese on any given day around here none of it goes to waste – one reason it’s A Gouda Life.

Tip: Lightly season with salt and pepper where I’ve indicated because the smoked salmon has such a robust flavor it’s easy to overdo the sodium. Once the soup has cooked, taste and add more salt according to your own taste.

Smoked Salmon Ingredients:

• butter
• olive oil
• onion
• celery
• carrots
• salt and pepper to taste
• dried thyme
• potatoes 
• tomato paste
• chicken stock
• dry white wine 
• Old Bay seasoning
• milk
• flour
• heavy cream
• smoked salmon
• Italian parsley

INSTRUCTIONS:

Add 2 tablespoons of butter and a drizzle of olive oil to your soup pot and once the butter has melted, add the carrots, celery and onion. Lightly season with salt and pepper, sprinkle in the thyme and cook a few minutes until the onions have softened. 

You can use any kind of potatoes from russets to yukons but I love the way the beautiful colors of these baby potatoes brighten up the Smoked Salmon Chowder.

Anyway, drop in the diced potatoes and tomato paste and simmer 2-3 minutes. Pour in the chicken stock, wine and Old Bay seasoning. Cover and cook over low heat until the potatoes and carrots have softened. 

Whisk the milk and flour together and pour into the pot, stirring to combine. Blend in the cream, stirring while continuing to cook low heat allowing the chowder to thicken then add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter.

Chop or break up the smoked salmon adding it and the parsley to the Smoked Salmon Chowder. Taste and adjust the salt at this point. If you like your chowder thinner, pour in a few splashes or chicken stock, a little at a time until you’ve reached the desired consistency.

If you tried this Smoked Salmon Chowder recipe or any other on the blog, don’t forget to leave a comment or star rating ~ I love hearing from you!

Do we share a love of all things salmon?

Cucumber Dill Salmon pan-seared salmon topped with a creamy cucumber, Greek yogurt, fresh dill sauce. Simple, sophisticated taste comes together in just 20 minutes without sour cream! 

Thinking Asian flavors? Honey Teriyaki Salmon is simple, fake-out fancy made entirely in one skillet with an over the top 4-ingredient glaze that brings all the flavor.

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Smoked Salmon Chowder

Smoked Salmon Chowder ~ creamy, hearty chowder packed with smokey pieces of salmon in every bite plus tender potatoes, carrots and onions. 

5 from 3 votes

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Prep Time 10 minutes mins

Cook Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 35 minutes mins

Course Main Course

Cuisine seafood

Servings 4

Calories

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• 4 tablespoons butter divided
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup onion chopped
• 2 stalks of celery chopped
• 1 1/2 cups carrots chopped
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 cups potatoes cut in approximately 1″ cubes
• 2 tablespoons tomato paste
• 2 1/2 cups chicken stock
• 1/2 cup of dry white wine Pinot Grigio used
• 1 1/2 teaspoons Old Bay seasoning
• 1 cup milk 2% used
• 1/3 cup flour
• 3 cups heavy cream
• 12 ounces smoked salmon
• 1/4 cup flat leaf Italian parsley chopped

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Instructions

 

• Add 2 tablespoons of butter and all of the olive oil to a soup pot and once the butter has melted, add the carrots, celery, onion and thyme then lightly season with salt and pepper.
• Cook 3-4 minutes or until the onions have softened.
• Drop in the diced potatoes and tomato paste and cook over low heat 2-3 minutes.
• Pour in the chicken stock, wine and Old Bay seasoning.
• Cover and cook over low heat until the potatoes and carrots have softened.
• Whisk the milk and flour together in a small bowl and pour into the pot, stirring constantly until combined.
• Blend in the cream, stirring while continuing to cook low heat allowing the chowder to thicken then add the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter.
• Chop or break up the smoked salmon adding it and the parsley to the chowder.
• Taste and adjust salt and pepper.
• If you prefer a thinner chowder, add more chicken stock 1-2 tablespoons at a time until you’ve reached the desired consistency.

Keyword seafood chowder

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