Sumptuous Seafood Chowder from the Fishy Fishy Cafe
Where in Ireland can you find slinky cobbled alleyways, a star-shaped coastal fort and some of the most sumptuous seafood you’ll ever eat?
The tasty stuff is inside - Fishy Fishy Café in Kinsale, County Cork Photo: Kevin O'Farrell
Ok the last part might have given it away – the answer is the town of Kinsale in County Cork! Kinsale you see, is well known for it’s seafood and the locals here know how to steam the perfect mussel, how to sear the perfect scallop, how to…ok, basically they know seafood.
Martin Shanahan and his wife Mairead are two such people and their Fishy Fishy Café is a slice of a seafood heaven so we wasted no time in asking the dynamic duo to share with us the secret to the best Seafood Chowder ever.
Now it’s over to Martin and a chowdery gem from his new book - Fishy Fishy Cookbook!
There are thousands of variations of chowders around Ireland. I think itʼs a very personal dish, with each chef using his own creativity. No two chowders are ever the same, and this is my version.
Seafood Chowder Recipe
Serves 6
1 tablespoon cooking oil
400g (14oz) prawn heads
200g (7oz) carrots, scrubbed and chopped
200g (7oz) onions, peeled and chopped
3 sticks celery, sliced
4 tablespoons tomato purée
Scrumptious Looking Seafood Chowder from the Fishy Fishy Café in Kinsale Photo: Kevin O'Farrell
2 litres/(34floz) water
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 tablespoon dried French tarragon
1 tablespoon ground coriander
50g butter (2oz) softened
50g flour (2oz)
1 tablespoon olive oil
375g/13oz diced fish (this can be anything from salmon, cod, hake, trout etc)
170ml (6floz)cream
50g butter (2oz) softened
50g flour (2oz)
cream to serve
Method
- Heat a large saucepan and add the oil
- Cook the prawn heads and prepared vegetables in the pan over a high heat, crushing the prawn shells as you cook
- Add the tomato purée and the water
- Simmer for about 30 minutes and then strain
- Add the garlic, coriander and tarragon
- Make a paste with 50g soft butter, and 50g flour
- Spoon a little of the hot prawn stock into the paste, stirring to mix
- Pour this paste back into the hot prawn stock, stirring over the heat at the same time, and continue to stir until you get a thickened stock
- Season and simmer for half an hour to cook out the flour
- Add the chowder mix and cream and serve
I like to garnish it with some fresh crab meat, cream and parsley oil, but a dollop of cream will suffice.
The recipe is taken from Martin’s yummy new book, Fishy Fishy Cookbook, published by Estragon Press.
If you like some bread for dunking with your soup than this Guinness Bread recipe is just the ticket. And to extend your fish supper why not have a go at making this cracking Fish Pie.
I hope the recipe appears. At there on one of the trips to Ireland, food was fabulous. Love the ambiance also.
Hey Pat! I hope we haven’t made you too hungry waiting for the recipe! I’ve just been speaking to Martin today to make sure that we have the right mix of fish for the recipe. Should all be in place by tomorrow. Thanks for being so patient!
Diced fish chowder mix?
Yes, what is diced fish chowder mix? I live in the U.S.
Thanks for the recipe, but what is diced fish chowder mix??
Hey everyone! Just to answer your questions re:chowder mix. Essentially it’s a mix of any type of fish you’d like ranging form salmon, trout, cod, hake or any substantial fish that you might like. I’ve amended it in the recipe!
Cheers,
David.
Thank you for clarifying that for me.
Prawn heads?
Is the fish monger going to look at me funny if I ask for this?
Have eaten this chowder in Fishy Fishy – it’s really outstanding, I gather that the above ingredient is a big component of the soups flavour. If prawn heads are not available what might be a good substitute?
Now there is a good question. I would imagine that prawn heads are widely available with fresh prawns but should they not be I would imagine that a particularly strong fish stock may do the trick.
Bisque (the french fish soup from Marseille) is made with the essense from various fish shells so I would imagine that the same could be done for the chowder here?
Hope this helps a little,
David
Thanks David – shall consult with the fish monger and see what he can do for me.
Hi ! I have a question what kind of flour should I use?
Jake
Hi there Jake,
White flour is fine here.
Best of luck with it,
David