Try an Iberian-inspired soup
Smoked sablefish, give ‘chowder’ a deep, intense flavor.
Publishing a new recipe for chowder seems like asking for trouble, since everyone has a different idea about what makes a true one.
But on a recent drizzly, almost-cool day, I found myself fantasizing about a soup chockfull of potatoes and some sort of fish. It would be more Portuguese or Spanish than New England, inspired by some of the salt cod and potato stews I have encountered along the Iberian Peninsula. It probably wouldn’t really qualify as a chowder anyway, and wouldn’t appeal to outspoken purists. I didn’t plan to use milk or butter, nor would there be oyster crackers in the picture.
No, this soup would have chorizo, onions, leeks and potatoes. As for fish, I planned to use something smoked.
What resulted was warming, homey and very tasty. The only ingre- dient I had to leave the house for was a chunk of smoked sablefish. Really, almost any kind of smoked fish could be used: whitefish, sturgeon, haddock, even eel or smoked mussels.
I started out by sweating onions in olive oil, always a good beginning, with a bay leaf for good measure. Then came the diced chorizo, its familiar aroma wafting through
Put olive oil in a heavy-bottomed soup pot over medium-high heat. Add onions, season with salt and pepper and cook, stirring, until softened and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes.
Add chorizo and potatoes and stir to coat, then cook for 5 minutes, stirring. Add bay leaf and broth and bring to a boil, then lower heat to a simmer. When potatoes are nearly tender, about 10 minutes, add leeks and cook for 5 minutes more. Taste broth and add salt as necessary.
Add smoked sable and piquillo peppers and simmer for 10 minutes, then turn off heat to let flavors mingle.
Reheat soup to serve, adding chopped cilantro at the last minute. Serve with lime wedges for squeezing into bowls at the table. the kitchen. I could have added potatoes and water and called it dinner right then.
I’m glad to have persevered, though, because the smoked sable gave the soup unbelievable instant umami. Now, umami is not a word I would normally choose — it’s overused, sometimes merely to describe big flavor. For me to invoke it, a food has to be shockingly, deeply flavorful, and this was. Just a few minutes of simmering imbued the broth with a vaguely dashilike flavor and aroma.
But the other element I wanted was roasted pepper. Happily, in the cupboard was a jar of small piquillo peppers from Spain, so that wish was easily granted. It’s a pantry staple I heartily recommend. Into the soup went the sweet red strips.
Just before serving, I gave it a fistful of chopped cilantro and a good squeeze of lime. It was not chowder at all, but awfully good. 8 a.m.-1 p.m., Monument Piazza, Royal Palm Place, S. Federal Highway and S.E. Mizner Blvd. Locally grown foods, plants, prepared foods, bakery items, fresh flowers, spices, dog treats, live music.
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