Galway-Style Smoked Seafood Chowder
Seabhdar Bia Mara·(show-dar bee-uh mah-ruh)
The Big Pot (Soups, Stews, and Coddle)
Order a bowl of seafood chowder in a pub overlooking Galway Bay, and you won't get that thick, flour-choked paste they serve in New England. True Irish seabhdar is a revelation: a delicate, milky broth meant to cradle the daily catch, not smother it. The trick your grandmother knew to build all-day depth in thirty minutes is hot-smoked fish, which lends a woodsy, savory backbone to the sweet cream and butter. This version relies on accessible hot-smoked salmon and the natural starches of Yukon Gold potatoes to achieve that authentic, silky body on a busy weeknight. It's unfussy, fiercely traditional, and exactly what it tastes like back home.
Ingredients
- Irish butter3 tbsp
- leek1 large
- yellow onion1 med
- celery stalks2 med
- Yukon Gold potatoes1 lb
- bay leaf1 large
- seafood stock2 cup
- whole milk2 cup
- heavy cream1 cup
- hot-smoked salmon1/2 lb
- skinless firm white fish fillets3/4 lb
- raw shrimp1/2 lb
- kosher salt1/2 tsp
- white pepper1/2 tsp
- fresh parsley1/4 cup
Method
- 01
Sweat the aromatics.
Melt the butter in a heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add the leeks, onion, celery, and a generous pinch of kosher salt. Cook gently for 8 to 10 minutes until translucent. Do not let them brown; caramelized vegetables introduce a bitter note that overpowers the delicate seafood.
- 02
Build the broth.
Add the diced potatoes, bay leaf, and seafood stock to the pot. Increase the heat to medium-high and bring to a gentle boil, then immediately drop the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes until the potatoes are just fork-tender.
- 03
Temper the dairy and smoked fish.
Lower the heat to medium-low. Pour in the milk and cream, then gently stir in the flaked hot-smoked salmon. Bring the chowder back to a very gentle simmer, but absolutely do not let it boil, or the milk will curdle.
- 04
Poach the fresh catch.
Once the creamy broth is gently steaming, submerge the chunks of white fish and the shrimp into the hot liquid.
- 05
Kill the heat and serve.
Cook for exactly 4 to 5 minutes, stirring very gently so you don't break up the fish. Once the white fish is opaque and the shrimp are pink, immediately pull the pot off the heat so the seafood doesn't turn rubbery. Taste, adjust the salt if necessary, stir in the white pepper and parsley, and serve immediately with heavily buttered brown bread.
Notes
Sweat, Don't Brown.
The hallmark of Irish home cooking is patience with your base vegetables. You want them to 'sweat'—releasing their moisture and becoming sweet. Browning them will introduce a roasted flavor that ruins the purity of the milk and seafood.
The Starch Thickener.
Resist the urge to add a flour roux to make this thick like an American chowder. Authentic Irish chowder is a thin, milky broth relying solely on the natural starch released by the diced Yukon Gold potatoes to give it body.
From Cook Irish-American Food.