It was the night before Christmas and all through the house not one person wanted to be cooking. This great slow-cooker recipe for Salmon & Sweet Potato Chowder, mixes the tradition of fish on Christmas Eve with the convenience of an easy to prepare one-pot dish from Beverly LeBlanc.
SALMON & SWEET POTATO CHOWDER
PREPARATION TIME: 20 minutes, plus making the stock (optional)
COOKING TIME: 4 hours 20 minutes on LOW
SERVES 4
15g/½oz butter
1 tbsp sunflower oil
1 celery stick, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
4 tbsp plain white flour
125ml/4floz/½ cup Fish Stock, weak Vegetable Stock or ready-made stock
750ml/26fl oz/3 cups milk
280g/10oz sweet potato, diced
2 bay leaves
1 long strip of lemon rind, pith removed
1 tbsp dried thyme
¼ tsp salt, plus extra to taste
700g/1lb 9oz boneless, skinless salmon fillets, about 2.5cm/1in thick, cut into bite-sized pieces
4 smoked streaky bacon rashers
freshly ground black pepper
finely chopped parsley leaves, to serve
smoked or sweet paprika, to serve
- Heat the butter and oil in a large frying pan over a high heat. Reduce the heat to medium, add the celery and onion and fry, stirring, for 3–5 minutes until the onion is softened. Sprinkle over the flour and stir for 2 minutes to cook out the raw flavour. Pour over the stock and bring to the boil, stirring continuously to prevent lumps from forming. The mixture will be very thick and paste-like.
- Slowly stir in the milk. Add the sweet potato, bay leaves, lemon rind, thyme and salt, then season with pepper. Cover and bring to the boil, then pour the mixture into the slow cooker.
- Cover the cooker with the lid and cook on LOW for 4 hours until the sweet potato is tender. Gently stir in the salmon, re-cover and cook for a further 20 minutes until the salmon is cooked through and flakes easily.
- Meanwhile, preheat the grill to high. When hot, grill the bacon for 2–3 minutes on each side until cooked and crisp. Drain well on kitchen paper, then chop very finely. Wrap in foil and keep warm.
- When the salmon is cooked, remove and discard the bay leaves and lemon rind, and add a little more salt and pepper, if you like. Sprinkle with bacon, parsley and paprika and serve.
If you’re looking for more delicious slow cooker recipes Beverley LeBlanc’s I Love My Slow Cooker is a must have for your kitchen.
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