Food Academy- Seafood Chowder.

Seafood is incredibly good for you. We need to try to eat fish or shellfish at least once a week.
This recipe is a good way to have lots of seafood in one dish.
Keep the mussel water for your stock. I used some fish stock that I had made, plus the mussel water.
I also used bacon pieces to add a smokey flavour to the chowder.

Seafood Chowder

Equipment

·       Pot and lid

·      Chopping board and sharp knife

·      Wooden spoon

·      Measuring cup/spoons

·      Sieve

·      Peeler

·      Mixing bowls

Ingredients

·      Butter, 25g

·      Flour, 1/4 cup

·      Onion, ½, diced

·      Mussels, 3-5

·      Fish, 1 ramekin (about 100g)

    Bacon pieces

    Shrimp

·      Potato, 1, diced and microwaved (optional)

·      Water from boiling the mussels, 2 cups

·      Seasoning (pinch of salt/pepper/curry powder)

·      Parsley, 1 tsp, diced finely

Method

1.    Bring a pot of water (2 cups) to the boil.

2.    Place the mussels in the water and boil until they open (5 minutes).

3.    Carefully drain the mussels through the sieve, keeping the water in a mixing bowl.

4.    Allow to cool before opening the shell and extracting the mussel.

5.    Remove the beard and chop up the mussels into rough dice.

6.    Place the pot back on the element on medium heat and melt the butter.

7.    Add the onion and cook until soft.

8.    Add the flour and cook for 2 minutes, stirring all the time.

9.    Take the pot off the heat and pour the mussel water into the pot a bit at a time while stirring.

10.  Return to the heat and bring to the boil. The chowder should thicken up. Keep stirring and turn heat down to simmer.

11.  Add the fish and potato and simmer for 5 minutes until fish is cooked (white flesh).

12. Remove from the heat then add the mussels, parsley and season.

13. Serve in a bowl with bread on the side