Niall’s Seafood Chowder

Serves 4 You will need:

• 3oz butter

• Splash of rapeseed oil

• 1 large shallot, chopped

• 1 celery stick, chopped

• 1 leek, cut into 2.5cm slices

• Half a fennel bulb, chopped

• 12 baby potatoes, quartered

• 200ml cold water

• 400ml full-fat milk

• 2 bay leaves

• 1 small whole shallot, studded with 6 cloves

• 200g smoked coley, skin on

• 24 large cockles, rinsed

• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

• Handful of chervil leaves

1 In a large saucepan, melt 1oz of the butter with the rapeseed oil. Add the chopped shallot, the chopped celery, the sliced leek, the chopped fennel and the potato quarters. Cook over a medium heat for 15 minutes until everything has slightly softened. Pour in the cold water, bring to the boil, then simmer.

2 Pour the milk into a separate wide saucepan and add the bay leaves and the clove-studded shallot. Bring to the boil, then simmer and add the smoked coley — the skin is left on so that the fish doesn’t fall apart.

3 Cook for 5 minutes, until the fish is just cooked. Take the saucepan off the heat, remove the coley and take off the skin, then pull the fish into large flakes. Remove the bay leaves and the clove-studded shallot and discard.

4 Add the rinsed cockles to the simmering vegetables in the large pan. Turn up the heat. Cover and cook for 2-3 minutes, until most of the cockles are open. Discard any that have not opened. Also discard half of the cockle shells.

5 Add the milk to the large saucepan and return to the boil for 2 minutes. Add the remaining 2oz of butter and stir to thicken the chowder slightly. Add the flaked coley, and season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Warm through for about 2 minutes, but don’t over-stir or you will break up the fish. To serve, stir in the chervil leaves, and, if you like, top with croutons (see introduction, above, for recipe).