18 Aug mussel chowder

We felt like a bit of seafood for supper this week. My chowder recipe makes a star of mussels and these Irish shellfish can hold their own in this creamy, spud-filled broth.

Mussel Chowder

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cooking Time: 20 minutes

Serves 4

Ingredients

Olive oil

Butter

1 small onion

1 celery stalk

2 slices of streaky smoked bacon

4 new potatoes

900ml of vegetable or fish stock

4 tablespoons of cream

Pepper

4 tablespoons of canned sweetcorn, rinsed and drained (optional)

350g mussels, cleaned and de-bearded

Freshly chopped parsley

Method

1. Heat a drizzle of olive oil and a knob of butter over a medium to high heat in a large, heavy based saucepan with a lid. Finely dice the onion, celery and bacon and fry for 3 minutes, until the onion starts to soften.

2. Chop the potatoes into 2cm chunks and add to the saucepan. Fry for a minute before adding the stock. Bring to the boil and then simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, or until the chunks of potatoes are cooked through.

3. Pour the cream into the stock and mix well. Add a crack of black pepper (there will be enough salt in the stock and from the mussels so you shouldn’t need to add any to the chowder). Stir in the sweetcorn, if using. Bring to a simmer before adding the mussels to the saucepan and covering with a lid. Cook for 5 minutes, or until the mussels have opened. Discard any unopened mussels.

4. Divide the chowder between four bowls and serve with some freshly chopped parsley on top, and crusty bread or crackers on the side.

This recipe first appeared in The Irish Independent on August 6th