Seafood and seaweed chowder

INGREDIENTS SERVES 4 For the stock:

2tbsp rapeseed oil

1 onion, diced

1 carrot, diced

1 celery stalk, diced

250ml dry cider

25g dried kelp (seaweed) or kombu 3 cloves garlic, peeled

2 bay leaves

A few sprigs of thyme

500g mussels, scrubbed clean 500g clams, scrubbed clean

For the chowder:

25g butter

1 onion, finely chopped

600g potatoes, cubed

2 leeks, diced

250ml double cream

300g pollock fillet, skinned and boned, cut into small chunks

Sea salt

For the garnish:

Chopped dill Finely milled nori

DIRECTIONS

To make the stock, heat the rapeseed oil in a large pan over a medium heat. Add the onion, carrot and celery and sauté for about 10 minutes until they start to caramelise.

Pour over the cider and cook for a couple of minutes. Pour in one litre of water and add the seaweed, garlic, bay leaves and thyme.

Bring to the boil, then turn the heat down and simmer for 40 minutes.

To finish, cook the mussels and clams in the stock for three to five minutes until they open. Remove from the stock and place them in a suitable container, discarding any that haven’t opened. When cool enough to handle, pick the meat from the shells and discard the shells. Strain the stock through a fine sieve.

For the chowder, melt half of the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for three to four minutes until translucent.

Add the potatoes and leeks and stir to mix. Add the seaweed stock. Season to taste.

Bring to the boil, then turn down the heat and simmer for about 15 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Add the cream and warm through.

Add the pollock and cook for two minutes. Finally, add the mussel and clam meat and remove from the heat. Allow to stand for five minutes.

To serve, fold the chopped dill through the chowder and divide among four warmed bowls. Garnish with a sprinkle of milled nori. Recipe from The Irish Cookbook by JP McMahon, photography and styling by Anita Murphy and Zania Koppe, published by

Phaidon.