Turn your catch into chowder
Q: My familywas visiting fromMaine andwewent to Prime Catch for lunch. The Crab and corn chowderwas so delicious! Would love to have the recipe if they will share it. Thanks.— JoanTerry, Boynton Beach A: A bowl ofwarm chowder sounds like the perfect foil for our unseasonable chillyweather, so I eagerly called John Bonk, executive chef of Prime Catch (700 E. Woolbright Road, Boynton Beach; 561-737-8822; primecatchboynton.com). Bonk had a true Southernstyle, low-country recipe in mind when he created his Crab and corn chowder. He stressed the importance of one ingredient: a good homemade shellfish stock. It takes little time and the rewards far outweigh the minimal effort.
Q: We recently had the Bourride Claire’s tip of theweek: Think twice before you throwthat away! Stockpile shells fromlobster, crab and shrimp in the freezer until you have enough to make stock— 5 cups of shells will yield about 2 ½ quarts. Don’t throwaway the corn cob after removing kernels. Use the cobs in the stock, with onions, carrots and celery for another layer of flavor. Add a splash of white wine, a spoonful of tomato paste and some aromatics such as thyme, parsley and bay leaves and— voila— you have a rich shellfish stock ready for chowder or stew. seafood stewat Sage cafe in Fort Lauderdale. It’s made with shellfish and other fish in a Saffron tomato broth. It is really outstanding. If I could get the recipe, Iwould appreciate it. One of your loyal readers. Thank you.— Joel Englander, Fort Lauderdale
A: Chef/owner Laurent Tasic of Sage French Cafe andWine Bar (2378N. Federal Highway, Fort Lauderdale; 954-565-2299; sagecafe.net) offers two versions of this classic French seafood stew: Saffron tomato broth and White wine lemon cream sauce. Tasic shared his recipe for the White wine Bourride in this column back in 2003. The tomatobased version has since taken over in popularity.
“This started as a special and, due to demand, it made itsway on to the menu,” he said. “I think it’s so popular because people like the fact that it’s fat-free, gluten-free, all-natural and full of flavor. People often order it to share.”
Chef Tasic changes the combination of fish based on freshness and availability. Shop according to your favorite fish.