Lots of salmon comes through our front door here on the O Peninsula (although this year has been a little skimpy) either from a good fishing trip or from friends. A good portion of the fish is smoked by the husband and used either in a salmon spread for appetizers or in the smoked salmon chowder. Every effort is made to use local, fresh ingredients.
Smoked Salmon Chowder
2 cups of small red potatoes, cut into quarters (Nash's Organic Produce, if we are lucky)
1 stick of butter (Sunny Farms Grocery carries a local butter)
1/4 cup diced onion (an eastern Washington treat is the Walla Walla onion, but Nash's for a good wanna-be)
1/4 cup flour (Nash's actually grinds their own. I kid you not!)
1 cup of smoked salmon (in pieces and de-boned)
1 tsp salt to taste (Sequim Tea and Spice shop fills my container with coarse sea salt)
16 oz Half and Half (or whole milk) (Dungeness Creamery is about 2 miles down the road)
several diced stalks of celery (Nash's)
Place potatoes in saucepan and cover with water, cook on medium heat until tender. (If I am feeling lazy, I let the potatoes cook on low in the slow cooker until they are tender.) Remove potatoes from heat, drain and set aside. In 2 quart saucepan on medium low heat to melt butter, add diced onions and celery, cook until onions are slightly clear. Add flour to butter and stir briskly. Mixture will start to thicken. Add half and half a little at a time while stirring briskly. Mixture should be creamy and thick. Place salt, salmon, and potatoes in mixture. Simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring often.
Serve with crusty bread for dipping. I know dipping is not well-mannered at the dinner table, but let's keep it real.
Enjoy!
I'm going to try this, thanks Terry.
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