The Power of Chowder
March 6, 2008

It’s late winter, and Vermont is still under a blanket of fresh powder. Moving perpetual piles of fluff powers a voracious appetite, but personally, I’m tired of eating rich savory dishes to keep me fueled. As the daylight grows longer lighter foods that still pack a punch are just the thing to keep us going strong. Here’s a delightful and filling seafood corn chowder that is brightened up with a pinch of ground turmeric to give it a sunny appeal. Chicken or tofu is a fine substitute if seafood is not your thing.

Here Comes the Sun Seafood Chowder

  • In a large pot over medium heat sweat 1 finely diced large sweet onion in 1 tablespoon of olive oil for 10 minutes, stirring lightly. Deglaze the pot with one half-cup good quality sherry or white wine.
  • Add a 2-pound bag of frozen corn along with 32 ounces of organic vegetable stock. Bring to a boil. Add 4 sliced garlic cloves and a large bay leaf (optional). Turn heat to down to medium, cover pot, and simmer soup for 30 minutes.
  • Remove bay leaf and add 1 teaspoon of ground turmeric. Puree the soup with a hand held immersion blender that goes right into the soup pot. (If you don’t have one of these handy gadgets, let the stock cool to lukewarm and blend it, in batches, in a standard blender. Return to soup pot.)
  • Add 1-2 cups of lo-fat organic milk (depending on how many chowder eaters there are and how thick you like your chowder) and heat through gently. Add 4 ounces of sea scallops (quartered chunks), and 4 ounces cleaned raw shrimp (bite-sized chunks).
  • Cover and let the soup heat through on low heat for 15 minutes until steaming but not boiling. Season the soup with pinches of white pepper and kosher salt to taste.
  • Stir in 1 tablespoon of butter.
  • In a small processor finely mince the zest of one lemon. Add 1 cup of de-stemmed, clean, dry parsley leaves. Pulse to make a gremolata mixture.
  • Serve the chowder in wide bowls with a sprinkle of the gremolata. Add a dollop of crème fraiche, if desired. Serves 4-8.

Kim Dannies is a graduate of La Varenne Cooking School in France. She lives in Williston, VT with her husband, Jeff, and three college–aged daughters who come and go. ©2008