Salmon Head Chowder

 

the eyes are the best part

YES. I always pass these delicious looking salmon heads in the store and this time I said TODAY IS THE DAY. A quick google search for salmon head recipe reveals that chowder is the no-brainer recipe for them. I got that itchy, tingly feeling at the prospect of something new: I've never made chowder before. 

I did once collect oysters from the Puget sound with G's brother before we really knew each other. With our beach harvest, he made a stew for the family involving a lot of milk. I don't love milk, I always thought it was odd as hell to drink the liquid of another animal in such gross quantities like those huge highball glasses filled to the brim on the table where the blonde blue-eyed kid is eating breakfast in US TV commercials. But the thing about chowder is you do have to splash at least a little dairy for it to be considered a proper chowder, so I used a little half and half we keep on hand for G's coffee.

Thickness is another contention point the world of chowder. As a kid I LOVED the Campbell's Chunky cans of New England Clam Chowder, and while there will always be a soft spot in my heart for that gloopy texture, it just ain't right. So we're going to make a broth-forward chowder using these super cheap salmon heads. You could also use steelhead trout, they're practically interchangeable. 

Making good use of my instant pot, the broth comes together in about 30 minutes while I chop up veg and steal sips from the white wine in the next step. 

Yields 6 servings, comes together in under an hour.

First:

• 2 salmon heads, whole
• 1 tbsp soy sauce
• 1 small onion, diced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 celery stalk, diced
• 1/2 cup dried mushrooms (I buy in bulk from Costco)
• bayberry or bay leaves, as much as you think makes a difference

Throw all of these into the instant pot, cover with an inch of water, seal, and pressure cook for 15 min. You can manually vent or let is go naturally if you do this ahead of time.

After 15 mins, broth!

Second, in your soup pot:

• handful of pork belly or bacon, diced
• 1 small onion. diced
• 1 celery stalk. diced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 3/4-1lb potato, diced (I don't peel)
• 1 cup white wine, dry
• 6-8 cups fish broth from instant pot
• fish meat separated from bones after instant pot broth, plus extra if you bought, in chunks.
• 1 can of clams with juice.
• 1/2 can of corn, or frozen
• 1/2 cup half and half
• 1 lemon, for the juice to taste
• dill, scallion greens, or parsley, chopped for serving
• freshly cracked black pepper
• salt ONLY after you taste.

1. Fry the pork belly until crispy and remove the meat for later, reserving enough of the rendered fat to brown the onions until translucent. Add the celery and carrots.
2. Manually release the pressure on the broth if you haven't yet.
3. When the brown stuff starts to stick on the bottom of your soup pot, deglaze with the white wine and scrape off all the good bits.
4. Add potatoes and then 6 cups of broth from the instant pot, the veggies included. While this cooks on medium heat, scoop out the salmon heads which should be falling apart at the touch and separate the meat, especially the making sure to get the cheeks!!

the cheeks are called the 'oysters' for a reason!

5. When the potatoes are soft to your liking, add the clams and corn with their respective juices, the half and half, and the pork and salmon meat. Add your dill if you're using it.

6. Wait two minutes and then taste. Add salt if you need. Serve with freshly cracked black pepper and garnish with parsley or scallion greens.

So good, not too creamy, not thick.